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Indonesia

Indonesia: Two trapped in bunker by Indonesia volcano found dead

JAKARTA, June 16 (Reuters) - Two men trapped in a bunker by volcanic debris from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano have died, disaster management officials said on Friday.
"The first person was in a singed condition because of hot steam," Widisutikno told Elshinta news radio, while the second person's body was intact when found early on Friday morning.

Mount Merapi has been spilling molten lava and spewing clouds of hot gas and ash sporadically for weeks, but had one of its heaviest discharges yet on Wednesday.

Another disaster official, Susilo Purwanto, told Reuters by telephone the men were trapped when they sought shelter that day as searing clouds swept through villages 6-7 km from Merapi's top, leaving a trail of damaged buildings and neighbourhoods covered with grey ash.

Rescuers had been trying to reach them since Thursday, Purwanto said, adding that one of the dead was a rescue volunteer and the other a villager. They were the first known direct casualties since the mountain began a period of intense activity in April.

Merapi, in central Java near the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta, is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the Pacific "Ring of Fire". It has threatened a major eruption for weeks, forcing thousands of people living nearby to shuttle back and forth between their homes and evacuation shelters.

The volcano has become more active since an earthquake last month struck Yogyakarta and nearby areas killing more than 5,700 people.

More than 60 people were killed when Merapi erupted in 1994, while 1,300 died in a 1930 eruption.