Monitors flee Indonesian volcano after scientists say an eruption has begun

Volcano monitors and villagers fled the slopes of Mount Kelud in panic on Saturday after seismic readings showed the deadly mountain was erupting after weeks of heightened activity.

The volcano in the heart of densely populated Java island was shrouded in fog and no visual confirmation of the apparent eruption was possible before night fell, said government seismologist Umar Rosadi.

As of early Saturday evening, detecting instruments close to the crater were still operating, indicating any eruption was so far small, he said. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

Earlier, Rosadi and another scientist said the seismic monitors on the slopes detected continuous tremors indicating an eruption had begun. They abandoned their posts.

In recent weeks, thousands of people have already been evacuated from villages closest to the crater, but an unknown number are believed to be still in the danger zone having dismissed warnings of a large eruption.

In 1990, Mt. Kelud killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds. In 1919, a powerful explosion that could be heard hundreds of miles away destroyed dozens of villages and killed at least 5,160.

The announcement of an apparent eruption triggered the evacuation of scores of people, including women hauling babies in slings, from the mountain in police trucks and motorbikes, witnesses said.

"I am afraid because the authorities say this eruption will be worse than the ones that have come before," said Marsini, a villager living just five kilometers from the crater. "They say there may be poisonous gas. I am leaving now,"

Scientists fear a buildup of magma under Kelud's crater lake could trigger a violent blast, sending a torrent of mud, ash and rock careering down the side of the 1,731-meter (5,679-foot) mountain.

The mountain has been on its highest alert status for more than two weeks, but in the last 48 hours the intensity of the quakes and the temperature of its lake have exceeding those in the days preceding the 1990 blast, scientists say.

For weeks, authorities have pleaded with villagers to move to tent camps or government buildings, but have faced resistance.

Many people have insisted on staying behind to tend to crops or look after their houses.

Some apparently believe a local myth stating if they stayed at home without switching indoor lights on or speaking in a loud voice then the mountain would not erupt.

Indonesia has about 100 active volcanos, more than any nation.

The country is spread across 17,500 islands and is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes because of its location on the so-called "Ring of Fire" _ a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.

At least three are currently erupting elsewhere in the country, including Mount Anak Krakatau, which lies of the northern tip of Java island. The mountain was formed after the famous Krakatau volcano erupted in 1883 killing thousands, but it is not seen as at risk of a major blast.