Volcano eruption in Central Java of Indonesia on Tuesday has killed 29 people and forced 40,475 others flee homes, officials said on Wednesday.

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Villagers rest in a temporary shelter about 7 kilometers away from the Mount Merapi in Central Java of Indonesia, Oct. 27, 2010. Volcano eruption in Central Java of Indonesia on Tuesday has killed 29 people and forced 40,475 others flee homes, officials said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zhao Jinchuan)

The latest data at coordinating post in Sleman of Yogyakarta province shows that 17,776 people have escaped the dangerous zones of 10 kilometers and official at National Disaster and Mitigation Management Agency Furqon Hafid told Xinhua by phone that 22,609 others have taken shelters in Central Java province.

Mount Merapi of 2,968 meters high is located in the border of the two provinces.

In Sleman district of Yogyakarta province ten people were still treated intensively after hit by hot ash, data from the post said.

Most of the displaced persons took shelters in schools, makeshift tents, barracks and relative houses, Taupik Wahyudi, senior official of the Disaster and Mitigation Management Agency in Sleman told Xinhua.

Many of the people have suffered from respiratory problem. Some children got diarrhea.

The previous eruption of Mount Merapi in 2006 killed two people. A 1994 eruption claimed 60 lives. In 1930, a major eruption killed more than 1,000 people.

Indonesia lies in a quake-prone zone called the Pacific Ring of Fire. The country now has 129 active volcanoes.

Source: Xinhuanet