Mt. Merapi calms as death toll reaches 50
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Mount Merapi grew calmer yesterday while 11 nearby hamlets remained closed indefinitely as the death toll of last week's eruption reached 50.
The continued closure of the worst-stricken villages dashed several thousand evacuees' hopes of an early return home. They have spent days in makeshift tents thrown up by the Sleman regency government as shelter.
Of the more than 5,500 evacuees, only 1,500, whose homes are located outside the "no access" area, have been allowed to return.
Adding to the villagers' frustration, Sleman Regent Arifin Ilyas has announced that the government has yet to decide where the stranded people will be resettled if the volcano remains dangerous.
Turgo, the village closest to the volcano, has been declared closed for good because it is located too close to the top of the mountain. Residents from the other 10 hamlets affected will have to wait until the volcano ceases excessive activity before they can go home.
The 2,962 meter high volcano was spewing debris and burning lava in lesser intensity yesterday, officials monitoring its activity said.
Warnings
R. Sukyar of the Directorate of Volcanology said in a meeting called to evaluate the aftermath of the Nov. 22 eruption that people living near the mountain should remain alert for more eruptions.
The strongest warnings were aimed at people residing along rivers that begin on Merapi. The residents have been told to expect deluges of lava when rainfall is heavy. An estimated 10 million cubic meters of lava has accumulated on the slopes of the mountain.
In Jakarta, Director General for Geology and Mineral Resources Adjat Sudradjat said in a hearing with the House of Representatives that the death toll might not have been as high if people had not defied warnings against residing too close to the mountain.
Surgery
Meanwhile, doctors at Sardjito Hospital postponed plans to perform plastic surgery on victims suffering serious injuries because their conditions remained too critical.
They said the surgery, for which Japan has provided medical equipment worth Rp 300 million (US$140,000), would possibly begin today.
They said they need the skin of several dozen goats of no more than three months old to cover the bodies of the patients after they undergo surgery.
Cancelations
In a related development, hoteliers in this ancient city, about 30 kilometers to the south of the volcano, are complaining that Merapi's eruption has turned out to be bad news for them because many foreign tourists have canceled their room reservations.
"Many have canceled their bookings, but there are more scheduled to come at the Christmas and New Year holidays," Titiek Hariati, the public relations manager of the Auila Prambanan Hotel, said.
About 40 Spanish tourists have reportedly canceled their room reservations at the Melia Purosani Hotel.
Reports about the decline in the tourist arrivals were confirmed by chief of the Yogyakarta chapter of the Hotel and Restaurant Association, H.M. Abbas Yoenoes.
He said several hotels with steady customers from Taiwan, China and Hong Kong had reported cancelations of room reservations following widespread coverage about the eruption.
"They don't know that Yogyakarta is 30 kilometers from the mountain and absolutely safe," he told Antara (mun/wah/fhp/pan)