JAKARTA, Indonesia -
Two volcanoes in separate parts of Indonesia shot forth plumes of smoke and showers of stones on Tuesday, killing two hikers and forcing the evacuation of 5,000 villagers, police and officials said. The two hikers were killed when they were hit by hot rocks expelled by Mount Bromo in east Java, said vulcanologist Atje Purbawinata. At least seven other hikers were injured by the blast, which sent a plume of smoke 9,900 feet into the sky, officials said.

Bromo is popular with foreign tourists. Metro TV station reported one of the dead was a Malaysian citizen. Police said they were checking the report. Many buildings in the nearby towns of Malang and Probolinggo were covered by a light coating of ash. There as no evacuation order, in part because the slopes of the 7641-foot mountain are sparsely populated.

In North Sulawesi, in the far northeast of the country, at least 5,000 villagers were evacuated from the vicinity of a second volcano, Mount Awu, after it spewed smoke and ash, local government official Barelang said. The villagers joined about 7,000 other villagers evacauted to the nearby town of Tahuna. They had been there since Friday, when the mountain on Sangihe island first began rumbling. "We are just waiting for the big explosion," said Barelang, who goes by a single name. He said the villagers were living in government offices and other public buildings in the town, 1,350 miles northeast of Jakarta. Officials have distributed rice, blankets and instant noodles, he said.

Ash from Awu — which lies just south of the Philippines' Mindanao Island — has covered nearby beaches and villages, he said. Officials monitoring the mountain have said a major eruption is possible in the coming days.

In August 1966, the 4,330-foot volcano erupted, killing 40 people. Awu last erupted in October 1992.

Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other country, and minor eruptions are common.