JAKARTA, March 7 (Reuters) - Indonesia has raised to maximum its alert on the Mount Semeru volcano in East Java, warning of potentially dangerous lava flows, an official at the country's vulcanology centre said on Saturday. The 3,376-metre (11,080-ft) Semeru is one of the most active volcanoes on Java island. Seven people were killed by the mountain's heat clouds in 1994. The alert status was raised on Friday afternoon after the number of volcanic quakes indicated there may be a bigger eruption, said Surono, head of the country's vulcanology centre. "We don't want to evacuate residents around the mountain, but we warn those carrying out activities such as sand mining to avoid rivers because of lava flows," said Surono, who goes by one name like many Indonesians. Indonesians often live and work on the slopes of volcanoes because of the rich volcanic soil and supplies of minerals. The official said that based on satellite images volcanic activity so far would not disturb air traffic. The nearest major city to Semeru, the highest peak on Java, is Surabaya. The area is also popular with hikers and nearby Mount Bromo is a well known tourist site. (Reporting by Telly Nathalia; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
Police spray water canons into a group of mock demonstrators during an anti-riot drill at the police headquarters in Jakarta March 4, 2009. More than 18,000 police personnel have been prepared ...
