Ternate airport still closed<\/p>\n
TERNATE, North Maluku: Sultan Baabulah Airport in North Maluku
\nprovince remained closed to flights on Monday due to thick ash
\nblanketing runway from Mount Gamalama, which erupted four days
\nago, officials said.<\/p>\n
"The latest news from Sultan Baabulah Airport is that the ash
\nfrom the volcano's eruption has not been cleaned up from the
\nrunway leading to a suspension of flights," said Chatrience
\nWatung, sales and service manager at the Merpati Airlines' office
\nin the North Sulawesi capital of Manado.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Manado, she said the slow progress in cleaning the
\nrunway was due to a lack of equipment to remove the ash and other
\nvolcanic materials.<\/p>\n
Merpati planes had to halt their services to and from the ash-
\nblanketed airport in the North Maluku city of Ternate since July
\n31, Watung said.<\/p>\n
The airport's closure had forced the private airline to cancel
\nseven flights to and from Ternate so far, she added. It remained
\nunclear when the airport would reopen as it could take two weeks
\nto remove the volcanic material, airport officials said.<\/p>\n
The 1,100-meter high Gamalama volcano erupted on Thursday,
\nblanketing Ternate with think ash. No casualties or injuries were
\nreported.<\/p>\n
The volcano has since quietened down with only minor eruptions
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
The Ternate government has evacuated thousands of villagers
\nliving in five villages in the foothills of the mountain as dust
\nand ash fell as far as 30 kilometers away. --Antara<\/p>",
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