Panic on the streets as volcanoes continue to pound Indonesia

Thousands of panicked Indonesian villagers fled their homes Sunday as the volcanic Mount Merapi erupted another searing ash cloud, the Associated Press reports.

Previously evacuated Indonesians came back to their villages to check on their homes and animals falsely assured by Mount Merapi’s momentary hiatus, according to the Associated Press.

Thirty-eight people died and more than 50,000 were forced to flee since ash and lava first burst from the volcano on Tuesday, news reports say.

Another volcano, Anak Krakatoa, showed increased activity Sunday, unleashing small amounts of ash and lava into the air. Officials issued warnings to evacuate the area, raising the volcano’s alert to “high,” Al Jazeera reports.

The eruptions come on the heels of a tsunami, that killed nearly 450 and devastated villages on the remote island regions of Mentawai.

Indonesia has about 130 active volcanoes. The country is made up of more than 15,000 islands situated on several fault lines called the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to earthquakes and volcano eruption.