JAKARTA, 01 August 2006 - A volcano in eastern Indonesia spewed hot gas and debris 1 1/2 kilometers (a mile) down its slopes on Monday, but hundreds of villagers were refusing to leave areas just outside the danger-zone, officials said. No injuries were reported. Mount Karangetang, one of the country's most active mountains, has been at a state of high alert for two weeks.

More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from villages near the peak, but 500 living further down the mountain are refusing to budge, saying they want to tend to livestock and crops, said Replein Areros, a district official. On Monday, the 1,784-meter (5,850-feet) volcano shot out at least 30 bursts of lava and hot ash, said Saut Simatupang, chief researcher at the government's vulcanology agency.

The government could not force villagers to leave or prevent them from returning to check on their property, he said, adding that there were no reports of injuries or major damage. The last deadly eruption of Karangetang - located on Siau, part of the Sulawesi island chain - was in 1992, when six villagers died.

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