Up to 200 still missing on Merapi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As many as 200 people were still not accounted
\nfor by yesterday, three days following the eruption of Mount
\nMerapi in Central Java which has already killed 32 people.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Sujudi, who reported the condition of the
\nvictims to President Soeharto, said afterwards that the
\nauthorities feared for the safety of between 100 to 200 people
\nwho are believed trapped in areas no longer accessible following
\nTuesday's eruption.<\/p>\n
Rescue workers were still unable to enter these villages to
\ndetermine the fate of the people, Sujudi said, adding with a note
\nof concern, \"We hope they're safe.\"<\/p>\n
There were also conflicting reports about the fate of some 50
\nworkers, including a Japanese national, who were working at on a
\nclean water project in Kali Boyong at the foot of Mt. Merapi.<\/p>\n
One report said they were all safe but another suggested that
\nthey were not accounted for, and still another said only some of
\nthem had been accounted for.<\/p>\n
Sujudi said about 60 people suffering from heavy burns needed
\nimmediate plastic surgery to save their lives.<\/p>\n
They should be operated on once they have passed the critical
\nstage, he said, adding that Indonesia might have to turn to
\nneighboring countries for surgical assistance.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health has already sent plastic surgeons to
\nYogyakarta to treat and operate on some of the victims, he added.<\/p>\n
The official body counts of the Merapi eruption rose to 30
\nyesterday from 27 the previous day.<\/p>\n
Health officials in Yogyakarta said many of those injured,
\nespecially those who sustained burns over more than 50 percent of
\ntheir bodies, might not survive.<\/p>\n
Surgery to restore their skin could require skin donors,
\nsomething not readily available in Indonesia. Even if they were
\navailable, the surgery is still very complex, sources said to
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta's hospital personnel said 42 people were in very
\ncritical condition and are being treated at Sardjito, Panti
\nRapih, Muhammadiyah and Bethesda hospitals.<\/p>\n
The eruption on Tuesday caused a heat wave as high as 600
\ndegree Celcius in addition to hurling hot rocks and ashes through
\nvillages to the south of the crater. Many of those who sustained
\nburn injuries have also developed respiratory problems.<\/p>\n
On a separate occasion, Minister of Mines and Energy I.B.
\nSudjana said yesterday that the volcano authorities had in fact
\nissued several warnings about a likely eruption as far back as
\nOctober.<\/p>\n
The Directorate of Geology noticed the intense activity of the
\nvolcano in October and when the situation became critical on Nov.
\n4, it sent warnings to local authorities, urging them to vacate
\nvillages located in dangerous areas.<\/p>\n
\"But for some reason, these warnings never reached the
\nvillagers,\" said Sudjana, whose ministry oversees the directorate
\nwhich monitors the activities of volcanoes in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe you could check on what really happened,\" he told
\njournalists. \"We could have prevented or minimized the casualties
\nif they had been forewarned, or at least warned them not to enter
\nthe red zones.\"<\/p>\n
Sudjana, who flew over the Merapi crater on Wednesday, said
\nthat although the volcano has quieted down, the danger remains.<\/p>\n
\"I saw a great deal of lava, estimated at some 11 cubic
\nmeters, which could start descending any time,\" he said. \"Just
\nimagine all that lava descending on villages. That's how
\ndangerous the situation is.\"<\/p>\n
Minister of Social Services Inten Soeweno was in Yogyakarta to
\nsupervise the massive relief operation underway to help the
\nvictims of the eruption.<\/p>\n
Inten also warned people living along the Code River in
\nYogyakarta to prepare for evacuation because the lava would
\nlikely flow into the stream, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
The river, which passes through Yogyakarta, is already
\ncarrying some volcanic materials but is not overflowing yet.<\/p>\n
Director General of Irrigation Suparmono said his office was
\nnow preparing a third check dam just outside Yogyakarta to
\nprevent lava and other volcanic material from going into the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Inten also urged the local authorities to get their casualty
\nfigures right, noting that the death toll reported to Jakarta
\nvaried and tended to be higher than what she found in the field.<\/p>\n
The visit of Inten and other senior government officials from
\nJakarta to various hospitals and shelters helped relieve the pain
\nthat the victims have to endure. The officials also gave their
\nassurances that the government would tend to their needs.<\/p>\n
The victims also learned about the planned visit by President
\nSoeharto to the stricken area on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Officials in the Magelang regency, who have born the brunt of
\naccommodating the thousands of fleeing villagers, were
\nencouraging them to return to their homes yesterday after
\nascertaining that it was safe to do so.<\/p>\n
In Boyolali, the authorities have urged villagers to the north
\nof the crater to also prepare for evacuation at any time.<\/p>\n
The village of Tlogolele, only five kilometers from the
\ncrater, was spared from the calamity because the ash and rocks
\nwent southward.<\/p>\n
Still the authorities are taking no chances and have sent
\ndozens of trucks to prepare evacuation of the villagers.
\n(emb\/har\/wah)<\/p>",
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