Villagers told to leave Mt. Egon

JAKARTA: Seismologists and officials urged villagers near the eastern slope Mount Egon on Wednesday to evacuate their homes after the volcano spewed ash and dust earlier on Tuesday.

Yosef Ansa Rera, deputy district chief of Maumere, Flores -- 1,800 km east of Jakarta -- said several eruptions on Tuesday had sparked fears about the safety of the 2,000 or so villagers living on the mountainside.

It was the second time in two months that the 1,703-meter volcano shot out ash, volcanologist Syamsul Rizal said. -- AP