Government volcanologists said the activity was not a fresh eruption and could help to stabilise Mount Merapi following Tuesday's killer eruptions.

"It shot heat clouds at 6:10 am (1110 GMT Thursday) as far as 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) down its southeastern slopes and followed this with ash rain," volcanologist Heru Suparwoko told AFP.

"It's definitely dangerous for anyone who might be in the path of the heat clouds."

The area was evacuated on Monday after Indonesian authorities issued a red alert but some people may have stayed or returned to tend their livestock and check on their homes.

Another volcanologist, Surono, said the volcano on the central island of Java, whose name translates as the "Mountain of Fire", also released lava for the first time since its latest round of activity began.

"It's a good development as there won't be an accumulation of energy which will cause a massive eruption like on Tuesday," he said.

A local hospital spokesman, Banu Hermawan, said the number of people killed by the volcano's eruptions had risen to 34.

More than 50,000 people are living in cramped temporary shelters near the central Java city of Yogyakarta after being ordered to evacuate a 10-kilometre danger zone on Monday.

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