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)