Hot lava flows from the Mount Merapi volcano, June 3, 2006.

    JAKARTA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The activities of smoldering Mount Merapi in Central Java province increased remarkably, expelling hot clouds at frequent intervals and sending trails of lava down its slopes, local media reported here on Saturday.

    The volcano sent out hot clouds every 10 minutes and lava at three-minute on average on Friday, the Jakarta Post reported.

    The lava and the clouds flowed to south toward Sleman regency and Klaten regency in Central Java.

    "The hot clouds were of high intensity and kept on increasing. All officials at Merapi observation posts have been instructed to intensify their monitoring and analyzing of the volcano's status," Triyani, an expert at the Volcanology Research and Technology Development in Yogyakarta, was quoted as saying.

    Observers said that the hot clouds reached as far as three kilometers down the volcano's slopes.

    On Thursday, the 2,914-meter volcano also spewed sulfurous gas up to 1.2 kilometers into the sky, the highest since the mountain was put on top alert status on May 13.

    The new lava dome, whose formation was first observed on April 28, continued to grow with an average of 150,000 cubic meters per day, ir reported.

    Merapi, located between Yogyakarta and Central Java Province, about 450 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, is one of the 65 volcanoes listed as the most dangerous in Indonesia. Enditem 

Lava dome on Merapi keeps on expanding