Indonesian volcano death toll rises

The number of people killed in recent eruptions of Indonesia's most volatile volcano has risen to 324, according to an official.

Syamsul Maarif of Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said Wednesday the official death toll from Mount Merapi's eruptions rose after some victims succumbed to severe burns and more bodies were found onthe volcano'sslopes.

The volcano, located in the middle of the centralIndonesian island of Java, initially erupted Oct. 26 less than 24 hours after a tsunami slammed into the remote Mentawai islandsat the western end of the country, killing 509 people.

Also, 173 people were killed by flash floods that hit West Papua province, on the island of New Guinea,early last month.

Indonesia is prone to natural disasters because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean.