Evacuation drill at Mount Merapi

BOYOLALI, Central Java: The Yogyakarta authorities plan to hold a simulated evacuation procedure on Tuesday for people living near Mount Merapi volcano, whose status has been recently raised to a warning alert level, up a notch from normal.

The volcano, which looms above the plains north of Yogyakarta in Central Java, has shown increasing activity during the past couple of weeks.

Head of Selo Boyolali subdistrict Luwarno said on Saturday that the evacuation drill would involve residents living in three hamlets including Sitran, Tosari and Lecoh.

Mount Merapi is a 2,911-meter-high volcano that has been rumbling intermittently in the past four years.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire noted for its volcanic and seismic activity. The country has more than 100 active volcanoes. -- JP