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Death Toll From Indonesian Volcano Rises to 132


Indonesian volunteers and police carry a coffin at a mass burial site of the victims of the Mount Merapi volcano eruption, 7 November 2010
Indonesian volunteers and police carry a coffin at a mass burial site of the victims of the Mount Merapi volcano eruption, 7 November 2010

Indonesian officials say the number of people killed by an erupting volcano on Java island has risen to at least 132 as more bodies were found in surrounding villages.

Mount Merapi in Indonesia's Central Java province began erupting on October 26 and unleashed its biggest explosion in more than a century last Friday. That eruption killed at least 90 people.

The volcano continued spewing volcanic ash and hot gases into the air Sunday, forcing international airlines to cancel more flights to and from the capital, Jakarta, more than 450 kilometers to the west. Many international flights had been canceled the previous day.

Some airlines were resuming operations at Jakarta's airport Sunday, because of forecasts of an improvement in the volcanic ash cloud.

Rescue workers have been hard-pressed to cope with people injured during the eruptions, and with the more than 200,000 who fled to emergency shelters.

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Indonesia, where he lived part of his childhood, on Tuesday as part of his 10-day Asian trip.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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