国际英语新闻：17 killed by hot ash after volcano eruption in Central Java, Indonesia

JAKARTA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- A volcano eruption on Tuesday afternoon in Central Java of Indonesia has killed 17 people and injured at least 39 after the victims were hit by hot ash, and over 15,000 people have fled their homes, local officials said on Wednesday.

Sixteen people were found dead in one area, and a baby died on the way to hospital, Yogyakarta Disaster and Mitigation Management Agency official Windu Wiryawan said.

"Sixteen bodies have been found in one compound which was covered by ash, and one baby was also killed," he told Xinhua over the phone from Yogyakarta.

Most of the victims' bodies have been severely burned and turned black, according to a local TV report.

Caption Mount Merapi volcano emits smoke as it is seen from Kinahrejo village near Yogyakarta October 26, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted on Tuesday, prompting terrified villagers to flee and join the thousands already evacuated from its slopes.

Wiryawan said that there were at least 39 people receiving treatment in hospitals for respiratory problems and injuries.

"Many trees fell after being hit by the hot ash, and this hampers the evacuation," he said.

Local authorities have ordered residents within 10 kilometers of the volcano to evacuate the area, said Wiryawan.

"There have been more than 15,000 people taking shelters so far. They live in barracks, schools and makeshift tents," he said.

The 2,968-meter-high Mount Merapi erupted three times on Tuesday, with the first one recorded at 5:02 p.m. Jakarta time ( 1002 GMT).

An observer at the monitoring post for Mount Merapi in Sleman district of Yogyakarta, Heru Saparwoko, told Xinhua on the phone that the situation is under close watch.

Local TV footage showed thousands of panicked residents fled the danger zone by cars or other vehicles to take shelter in areas far from the mountain.

There are still over 40,000 people near the mountain, local officials said.

The previous eruption of Mount Merapi in 2006 killed two people. A 1994 eruption claimed 60 lives. In 1930, a major eruption killed more than 1,000 people.

Indonesia lies in a quake-prone zone called the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the country now has 129 active volcanoes.