At least 76 people are now dead after the Friday eruption at Mount Merapi, in Central Java.

Merapi continues to spill hot ash cloud and rumbles consistently, according to data from the Indonesian Volcanology Technology Development and Assessment Agency.

The data also indicates the hot ash cloud that hit a village near the crater was around 450-600 degrees Celsius (842-1,112 degrees Fahrenheit).

In all, about 120 people have died since Mount Merapi began erupting October 26. But Friday's eruption is being called Merapi's largest so far, unleashing ash clouds and gas that have reached villages in areas many thought were safe from the volcano's eruptions.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has instructed the military to assist relief efforts by building facilities and field hospitals in the area. He has also ordered the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, which oversees several ministries, to coordinate faster and more efficient relief.

The president announced that residents will receive compensation for livelihoods and animals lost to the eruptions. The government will buy endangered cows on the volcano, he said. Many of those who live on its slopes raise cattle and risked their lives by staying or returning to feed their cows.

The 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) Merapi is famously unpredictable. An eruption killed two people in 2006 and another killed more than 60 villagers in 1994. About 1,300 people died when Merapi erupted in 1930.

In addition, last week a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's coast, triggering a tsunami and killing at least 449 people. Hundreds more were injured.