Mount Merapi claims more lives

Thenumber of people killed byMount Merapi, a volatile volcano that has been spewing ash and gas fortwo weeks,has climbed to 191, according to Indonesian officials.

Muhammad Anshori, a disaster official, said the earlier toll of 153 did not take into account those who died of respiratory problems, heart attacks and other illnesses.

The volcano, one of the world's most active, roared back to life two weeks ago, spewing clouds of hot ash and gas into the air almost continuously, with lava, rocks and debris cascading down its slopes.

Flights cancelled

U.S. President Barack Obama cut short his visit to Indonesia and some international airlines again cancelled flights over concerns about air safety.

Mount Merapi, hundreds of kilometres east of Jakarta, has spewed massive clouds of ash and gas high into the air, causing travel chaos and at times forcing two nearby airports to shut down.

Obama sliced several hours off his whirlwind 24-hour tour Wednesday and flew to South Korea for the Group of 20 summit.

Syaiful Bahri, who oversees operations at Jakarta's international airport, said concerns about the ash also forced several international carriers to again cancel flights into and out of the capital. Among them were Cathay Pacific, Value Air, Qantas and Malaysia Air.

One of the world's most active volcanoes, Merapi has erupted many times in the last century, killing more than 1,400. But last Friday was the mountain's deadliest day since 1930, with nearly 100 lives lost.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 235 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanoes because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean.