Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted violently early Saturday, sparking chaos as people tried to scramble to safety, fearful of a repeat of this week's deadly explosions.

The loud blast at around 1:00 am (1800 GMT Friday) sent soldiers and police posted near the volcano fleeing, along with hundreds of locals, who quickly clogged roads with cars and motorcycles.

No one was known to have died in the actual eruption on Saturday, but two people were killed during the chaotic evacuation, hospital staff said.

So far, 36 people have been confirmed dead as a direct result of the eruption of the volcano earlier this week.

"A total of 38 people have been killed because of burn injuries and accidents since the 26th. Two of them, an adult woman and a one year-old boy, died because of accidents," Sardjito hospital spokesman Arif Novianto said.

Kris Budianto, 51, told AFP how he fell off his motorbike as he fled to safety.

"I was sleeping on the veranda when loud booms like thunder woke me up," he said.

"I quickly took my motorbike and rushed down in panic to safety. But on the way down, I fell from my motorbike." He has facial wounds and his right arm is broken.

Volcanic ash rained down on Yogyakarta airport, 26 kilometres (16 miles) away, shutting it for over an hour as workers cleared the runway.

"The runway of the airport was covered with volcanic ash. We had to close for about an hour as the ash could get inside aeroplane engines," transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said.

Government volcanologist Subandrio said more eruptions were likely.

"We think there will be other explosive eruptions because we discovered a lot of magma on Merapi's crater," he told AFP.

He said the government had to be "more serious" about enforcing the exclusion zone amid persistent reports of people leaving displacement camps to tend to their livestock on the volcano's slopes.

"We will even have to evaluate whether we need to widen the exclusion zone because we should not downplay the threat -- Mount Merapi is extremely dangerous," he said.

More than 50,000 people are living in cramped temporary shelters near the central Java city of Yogyakarta after being ordered to evacuate on Monday.

But officials have said many had returned to feed their livestock or check their properties, and it is not known how many people were on the mountain during the latest eruption.

earlier related report
Livestock taken to safety after Indonesia's volcano eruption
Umbulharjo, Indonesia (AFP) Oct 29, 2010 - Livestock are vital to many of the thousands living on the slopes of Indonesia's rumbling volcano, so when evacuated they stay away until they can bring their cows home.

More than 50,000 people are living in cramped temporary shelters in the area of Mount Merapi in central Java, after the volcanology office banned them from returning to their villages located in a 10-kilometre danger zone.

In four different locations close to the refugee camps, tents for cows are also set up in a vast open field.

Most of them have been wounded by hot ash and debris from the Tuesday's biggest eruption, and some have been brought there for safety.

Eruptions from the 2,914-metre (9,616-foot) peak near Yogyakarta continued Friday after a massive blast earlier this week that left 34 people dead.

Veterinarians are available to take care of the wounded livestock.

Mujirah, 42, who lives in Pelemsari village, only six kilometres away from the volcano's peak, and like many Indonesians uses only one name, hoped that her six cows will recover soon.

"They are the only source of my income," she told AFP as she patted a four-year-old cow suffering from burns.

"My cows lost appetite, they don't want to eat as they are still traumatised with the eruption," she said.

A large white cow lay weakly on the ground refusing to consume fresh grass scattered around it.

Kristianti, a veterinarian from the provincial livestock office, said that about 1,400 cows were evacuated to safety.

"We need to take care of the wounds as people here really depend for their livelihoods on the cows," she told AFP as she sprayed medicine on a wound.

"Besides being a source of income, the cows are also their investment. They usually sell their cows for their children's school entrance fees," she added.

Wakinah, a 50-year-old woman, had to take an emergency decision Friday morning to sell her two cows at very low price.

She evacuated them to the shelter a day earlier to get treatment from experts, but their condition deteriorated due to an infection.

"My cows are the only income for my family's life but I have no choice but to sell them," the mother of two told AFP.

She said that she will keep the money and will buy younger cows if the volcano calms down.

"If everything is back to normal, I'll buy a younger one as its price is more affordable," she said adding that she only got 7.5 million rupiah (800 dollars) for each of her beasts, instead of the normal price of 10 million rupiah each.

But some refugees refused to shelter their cows in the safe shelter, choosing instead to make visits to the mountain, risking their own lives, to protect their livestock.

Manto Suyatno, 60, owns eight cows -- they are all safe so far -- and prefers them to stay in his village, seven kilometres from the summit, despite the threat from the volcano.

"It's better to keep my cows at the top. They have been familiarised with the surroundings," he said.

"I have no problem to feed them so far. Security guards at the checkpoint allow me to visit my cows as they really have to eat everyday."