BANTUL, Indonesia — The Mount Merapi volcano spewed lava and hot clouds Saturday and a strong aftershock hit the region, sending fear through the southern Indonesian area devastated by an earthquake only a week ago.
The mountain's lava dome has swelled in the past week past 300 feet, raising fears that it could collapse, said Subandriyo, a government scientist who uses one name. That could release a highly dangerous pyroclastic flow — a fast-moving burst of high-temperature gases and rock fragments that burns anything in its path.
More than 1,000 aftershocks have hit the region since the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck before dawn May 27, killing at least 6,234 people and injuring 30,000. Officials estimate that 135,000 homes were destroyed.
Scientists say the quake may have contributed to a weakening of the lava dome.
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Most aftershocks have been weak, but one overnight Saturday jolted survivors awake.
"I picked up my nephew and ran out of the house. It was very strong," said Yudi, who like many Indonesians also uses one name. There were no reports of damage from the quake, measured at magnitude 3.4.
Worried villagers in recent days have performed rituals aimed at warding off an eruption. On Thursday, the mountain's royally appointed spiritual guardian, "Mbah" Maridjan, led a silent procession of 100 people three times around a village near the volcano.
Most of the estimated 647,000 people left homeless are living in makeshift shelters — often just plastic tarps to ward off tropical downpours and the hot sun — with no toilets or running water.
Thirty more U.S. military medical personnel arrived Saturday, and were followed by a 135-member medical team from Cuba with two field hospitals. Medical teams have arrived from Singapore, Japan, Iraq, Malaysia, Qatar and Pakistan.
The United Nations issued an urgent appeal Friday for $103 million to pay for the recovery effort over the next six months.
