Two Dead, Thousands Flee As Two Indonesian Volcanoes Erupt

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JAKARTA, Indonesia - "Two volcanoes in separate parts of Indonesia shot forth plumes of smoke and showers of stones on Tuesday, killing two hikers and forcing the evacuation of 5,000 villagers, police and officials said. The two hikers were killed when they were hit by hot rocks expelled by Mount Bromo in east Java, said vulcanologist Atje Purbawinata.

At least seven other hikers were injured by the blast, which sent a plume of smoke 9,900 feet into the sky, officials said. Bromo, 434 miles east of Jakarta, is popular with tourists. One of the dead was a Singaporean citizen, and the other was an Indonesian tourist, said Sgt. Adi Kurniawan of the local police.

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In North Sulawesi, in the far northeast of the country, at least 5,000 villagers were evacuated from the vicinity of a second volcano, Mount Awu, after it spewed smoke and ash, local government official Barelang said. The villagers joined about 7,000 other villagers evacauted to the nearby town of Tahuna. They had been there since Friday, when the mountain on Sangihe island first began rumbling. "We are just waiting for the big explosion," said Barelang, who goes by a single name."

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http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/world/8867436.htm