Mt. Merapi eruption eases, high alert continues
Mt. Merapi eruption eases, high alert continues
SEMARANG (JP): Mt. Merapi's volcanic activities eased
yesterday but a maximum level alert remained in force.
Reports said 5,000 refugees from four villages have gradually
returned home in the Kemalang district, Klaten regency, but
thousands remained in evacuation centers.
Authorities were working to persuade residents in the greatest
risk areas to seek shelter in evacuation centers.
At least 16 families in Turgo hamlet, for instance, have
refused to leave their homes. This hamlet was one of the worst
hit when the volcano last erupted in 1994.
The 2,298-meter volcano erupted four times on Friday, forcing
about 18,000 people to flee their villages and hamlets. The
volcano is in Central Java, some 35 kilometers north of
Yogyakarta.
No fatalities occurred. However, there were unconfirmed
reports that two broke bones while fleeing and six people went
missing.
From 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, there were two hot
cloud eruptions. The hot clouds reached a height of 1,500 meters
while lava streamed down to the Krasak, Boyong, Bebeng and Sat
rivers.
At the time the head of Yogyakarta's volcanology section Atje
Purbawinata told Antara the volcano spewed 36 bursts of lava,
compared to 17 on Friday.
Atje said that on Friday there were 291 multi-phase
earthquakes and two volcanic earthquakes.
The Kaliurang observatory recorded 32 millimeters of rain in
80 minutes in the surrounding areas while the Ngepos observatory
recorded 15 millimeters of rain in 31 minutes. The Badaban
observatory recorded 36 millimeters of rain in 80 minutes.
Dr. Syukar from the Yogyakarta volcanology office said high-
frequency volcanic tremors occurring 222 times an hour were
threatening to cause a lava pileup on top of the volcano to
crumble. Heavy rains would aggravate situation, he said.
"Residents should remain alert," he said.
In the Hargobinangun evacuation center refugees spent their
first night on mats covering the floor of a village hall and
under two makeshift shelters while a communal kitchen prepared
rice and noodles.
Antara reported yesterday that in Selo district, Boyolali
regency, residents continued their daily activities. The villages
near the slope, including Tlogolele, Lencoh, Klakah, Suroteleng,
Jrakah and Samiran, were the most at risk.
Merapi's last eruption was in 1994, when it spewed hot clouds
which killed 68 people and forced 6,000 to flee.
Indonesia's 17,000 islands are dotted with about 500
volcanoes, but Merapi is the most active. The last major volcanic
eruption in Indonesia was from Mount Galunggung in West Java in
1982, which killed more than 100 people.
The worst recorded volcanic eruptions in Indonesia's history
were at Krakatau, in the Sunda Straits between Java and Sumatra,
in 1883 which killed 36,000 while the eruption of Tambora, on the
eastern Indonesian island of Sumbawa, killed 90,000 people in
1915. (har/01)