Merapi refugees begin to trek home<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Around 7,000 refugees have returned to their
\nvillages on the slopes of Mount Merapi following a decrease in
\nvolcanic activity in the area.<\/p>\n
Despite the decrease, the mountain, which erupted early on
\nSunday, was still spewing out a thick cloud of hot ash yesterday.<\/p>\n
Sudjarwo, an official in Dukun subdistrict, Magelang regency,
\nsaid that as many as 5,000 people who fled the subdistrict on
\nSunday night had returned home early yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"The evacuees arrived home at around 8:00 a.m. this morning,\"
\nhe told the media yesterday.<\/p>\n
He said the villagers had insisted on returning home after
\nMount Merapi appeared to have calmed down.<\/p>\n
\"It rained ash over parts of the western slope yesterday
\n(Sunday) and that sparked the evacuation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However Sudjarwo said he could not determine whether activity
\nin the volcano had abated and added that a renewed evacuation
\nwould be called if there were indications that a further eruption
\nwas imminent.<\/p>\n
Around 2,000 villagers who fled from Serumbung subdistrict in
\nthe regency have also abandoned their temporary shelters and
\nreturned home.<\/p>\n
Central Java Governor Soewardi, who visited one evacuation
\ncenter but found the makeshift tents vacant, handed over a sum of
\nmoney and a truck load of instant noodles for the refugees to
\nMagelang Regent Kardi.<\/p>\n
More than 40,000 people living in over ten villages on the
\nwestern slopes of the volcano fled to safer areas in Magelang as
\nvolcanic activity in the mountain reached a critical level on
\nSunday.<\/p>\n
The 2,968 meter high volcano spewed out poisonous gases and
\nmolten lava oozed out of the vent and ran down the Lamat,
\nBlongkeng, Boyong, Sat, Seno and Jurong Jero lava canals. Hot
\nclouds shot out of the crater to an estimated height of 4,500
\nmeters and ash covered the mountainside.<\/p>\n
Thousands of hectares of paddy and tobacco plants in the Dukun
\nand Srumbung subdistricts were badly damaged by the ash, which
\nhas been raining down incessantly since Sunday.<\/p>\n
Yesterday the volcano continued to belch out hot clouds and
\ntremors were felt, but with less frequency than on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Mas Atje Purbawinata, chief of the volcanology directorate's
\nresearch office here, confirmed that activity was decreasing and
\nsaid that if compared to Sunday, the volcano was calming down.<\/p>\n
\"Four hundred and seventy tremors were recorded on Sunday.
\nToday there were only 17 tremors and no more flows of lava,\" he
\nsaid, adding that his office was continuing to closely monitor
\nvolcanic activity in the area.<\/p>\n
Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in the
\ncountry. Three major eruptions have been recorded in the past,
\nthe worst of which occurred in 1930 when 1,300 people were
\nkilled. The other two eruptions were in 1996 and 1997, when a
\ntotal of 88 people died. (23\/44)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/merapi-refugees-begin-to-trek-home-1447893297",
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