Indonesia volcano alert lowered

Mt Gamkonora is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia

Thousands of people evacuated from the slopes of a rumbling volcano in eastern Indonesia have been told that they can return home.

Last week, an alert was declared around Mt Gamkonora, in North Maluku province, after fire and ash clouds were seen rising hundreds of metres into the air.

More than 8,000 villagers were moved to camps away from the mountain amid fears of an eruption.

But scientists lowered the alert level after activity at the volcano lessened.

Saut Simatupang, of Indonesia's Vulcanology Survey, said that people were being advised to return home.

"Those who live in a radius of 6 km (3.7 miles) are advised to stay in temporary shelters, but they can return to their homes during the day," he told Reuters news agency.

Rising 1,635m, Mt Gamkonora is the highest peak on the island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, some 2,400km east of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

It is one of at least 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is part of the Asia-Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of volcanoes and fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and South East Asia.