YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Residents in Indonesia's Yogyakarta province have been repeatedly warned about imminent eruption of the Merapi volcano in the north, but to their surprise, the deadly disaster came from the Indian Ocean in the south.

    A powerful earthquake centered 33 km off Java island struck the province at dawn Saturday, killing more than 4,600 people and injuring 3,500 others so far.

    "Government officials have warned us about Merapi eruption. I felt safe because my home is far away from the volcano," 55-year-old Saringah said in Javanese language.

    She has spent one night at a refugee camp after the 5.9-magnitude quake flattened her home in Bantul regency, the worst hit area with more than 2,700 deaths confirmed so far.

    "All houses in my neighborhood collapsed," she told Xinhua.

    The tremor occurred when most people were asleep, leaving little chance to get out of their houses.

    Neighbors alerted each other by shouting "lindhu, lindhu!", the Javanese word for earthquake.

    But for many, especially the elderly, the warning fell on deaf ears as roofs and brick walls began to collapse in less than 30 seconds.

    Ngadri, who like many Indonesians goes along with a single name, recalled the tragic day with tearful eyes.

    "It was so quick, the strongest quake came first. My parents couldn't make it. They are above 80 years old," said the 45-year-old farmer.

    The quake has made more than 200,000 people homeless.

    To cope with the disaster, around 400 volunteers initially recruited for the Merapi emergency response were called to search for victims in the rumbles and distributed relief supplies for refugees.

    The quake has left traumatic memories to people in the affected areas. They preferred to spend the rainy and cold Sunday night outdoor, sleeping inside truck cabin, on plastic sheets and even on newspapers.

    A group of refugees in Bantul insisted that their tents be moved, for fear that a nearby tree would fall on them.

    The local geophysics agency has detected over 500 after shocks in the last two days, although the people can only feel a few.

    Instant funeral ceremonies were held in almost every part of Bantul Sunday as rescuers continued to search for other bodies in the ruins.

    A woman in her 20s was watching soldiers removing ruins from what used to be a house in Bambanglipuro district.

    "My grandmother is buried inside," she said without turning her head.

    The impacts of Saturday's quake spanned about 100 km from the southern coast in Yogyakarta to the Central Java town of Klaten, where more than 1,200 people were killed.

    This is Indonesia's worst natural disaster after an earthquake-triggered tsunami killed 131,000 people on Sumatra island in December 2004.

    Yogyakarta is the only province in Indonesia granted with a special autonomy to revive the ancient Javanese kingdom of Mataram. The province, located about 500 km east of Jakarta, is currently led by a sultan.

    Apart from being popular as a tourist destination, Yogyakarta is also called "the city of education" with more than 100 universities and millions of students from 32 other provinces. Enditem

(by Heru Andriyanto )¡¡