MOUNT TALANG, West Sumatra (AP): A powerful earthquake that rattled western Indonesia could heighten the activity of three nearby volcanoes in coming days, experts warned Friday, but alert levels have not been raised.
Up to 74 people were killed in Tuesday's temblor that flattened homes and buckled roads on Sumatra island's western side, and aid was slow to reach some survivors who complained they were running out of food.
As cleanup operations continued at crumbled homes, residents shaken by a series of strong aftershocks were warned of a new potential threat.
Geologists said sensors on the slopes of three volcanoes - Talang, Tandikat and Merapi - have detected above average activity since the 6.3 magnitude temblor, which was also lightly felt in Singapore and Malaysia.
"We usually need about a month to observe whether the earthquake could trigger an eruption," said Gede Suantika, an official from Indonesia's volcanology institute.
Residents living near the 2,800-meter (9,186-feet) Mount Talang - one of the country's most active mountains - were nervous. In 2005, a minor eruption forced the evacuation of more than 2,500 people.
"Every night I keep my eyes on the peak before I go to sleep," said Nur Hayati, adding that an official from the volcano's monitoring post had told her village to be alert.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
Past earthquakes have led to eruptions. Scientists said they would continue to closely monitor activity, but no evacuations were being planned.
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