Tsunami, Volcano Kill 130 in Indonesia

Twin disasters caused by activity in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" have killed at least 130 people in Indonesia. A tsunami triggered by an earthquake has killed more than 100 in an island chain west of Sumatra. Hundreds more villagers are missing. On the island of Java, the Mount Merapi volcano erupted just before dusk yesterday, killing at least 18 people and forcing thousand more to flee, the AP reports.

Rescuers in the Merapi area fear many more victims killed by heat and burning ash are still to be found. Evacuations are continuing amid fears that pressure building up in the volcano will cause a huge blast, although experts believe a slow release is more likely. "It's too early to know for sure," a government expert said, adding that a big blast could still be coming. "But if it continues like this for a while, we are looking at a slow, long eruption." (More natural disaster stories.)