Mount Egon coughed back into life on Tuesday, prompting many living in the shadow of the peak to evacuate the area, said Domi Pereira, a district official in the Flores district of Sikka.

"It began rumbling at around two in the afternoon yesterday, spewing smoke and ash, and the report that I have received so far say that the inhabitants of at least seven villages have fled their homes," he said.

But an official at the natural disaster taskforce coordinating post in Maumere, the capital of Sikka district, some 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) west of the volcano, said that the panic only lasted for a few hours.

"It is true that hundreds of villagers fled their homes after Mount Egon began coughing, but as the volcano calmed down a few hours later, they all returned," said the official, who identified herself as Konstansia.

Konstansia said that during Tuesday's eruption, strong winds blew up the ash towards the east, covering nearby villages with ash.

It was the fourth eruption of the 1,703-meter (5,619-foot) Mount Egon this year.

Most of the villagers had only returned home from sheltering in Maumere following an eruption on July 24, which prompted 1,400 people to flee the volcano's slopes.

Indonesia sits on the "Pacific Rim of Fire" noted for its volcanic and seismic activity. The country has more than 100 active volcanoes.

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