"Coordination is difficult, because it is so chaotic and there are so many people helping and needing help," Hidayat said. "I understand the foreign doctors want to help immediately, but we need to try and set up some amount of coordination."

Almost 100 miles north of the confusing scene at Bantul General Hospital, the threat of another looming catastrophe, the imminent eruption of Mount Merapi, seemed to lessen.

Subandriyo, director of the Merapi division of the Volcanology Center in Yogyakarta, said the volcano's activity had been decreasing since Tuesday and had returned to its pre-quake levels.

A volcano alert remained at its highest level, meaning that an eruption could happen at any time, but there appeared to be less danger than there had been the day after the quake, when hundreds of deadly hot clouds were vented and several lava streams flowed down its slopes.

"Activity has decreased at Mount Merapi," Subandriyo said. "There were no lava streams Thursday. But some villages are still being evacuated, because the danger still exists."