Mt. Merapi erupts, 8,000 flee
YOGYAKARTA (JP): About 8,000 people were evacuated yesterday as Mount Merapi erupted, gushing molten lava and spewing heat clouds of ash over vast areas.
There was no word on casualties but unconfirmed reports said six people went missing as the alert was raised to the highest level.
Officials monitoring the 2,968 meter high volcano said two minor eruptions occurred in the morning and two larger ones followed in the afternoon.
The molten lava streaming down the mount's slope was clearly visible from the ancient city of Yogyakarta last night as the weather was fine.
Officials observing the natural phenomena said burning volcanic ash shot 4,000 meters into the sky, falling across areas as far as six kilometers away.
The explosion, that observers say was larger than the one in 1994, affected the nearby regencies of Sleman, Klaten, Boyolali and Magelang as well as Yogyakarta.
Government officials handling the crisis said over 4,700 people were evacuated from the worst-hit district of Manisrenggo in Klaten.
Over 3,000 people on the southern slope were moved from villages nearest the mountain. They were accommodated on safe ground in Hargobinangun, about 15 kilometers from Merapi.
Residents said the first big bang was heard at about 10:35 a.m. when thick smoke was belching from the mountain dome. The eruption could be heard from Yogyakarta, about 35 kilometers south of Merapi.
The second eruption was not quite as forceful. Louder explosions were heard at 1:45 p.m. and 3 p.m.
An official at the observation post in nearby Kaliurang said that in one of the eruptions, the thick smoke gushing from the mountain's peak formed a giant mushroom-shaped cloud with a 4,000 meter diameter.
The burning lava streamed down to the Krasak river on the western slope and the Bebeng river in the southeast.
Sleman regent Arifin Ilyas said fatalities had not been reported because people fled their homes as soon as officials told them to.
An official at the nearby observatory, Dewi told The Jakarta Post that yesterday's eruptions rivaled the 1994 one, which claimed 68 lives and forced about 6,000 people to flee from their villages.
Meanwhile, Pakem district chief Suharjo told the Post that 1000 residents from the east and west Kalibarat villages were evacuated to Pakembinangun, where Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, regent Arifin Ilyas and Sleman chief of police visited to assess the situation.
The latest report last night said that of the six people reported missing, five were workers from a drinking water project on the Kaliboyong river and the other was a farmer.
A 50-year-old grandmother from Kalitengah Lor, identified as Tukirah, was treated for a broken arm at Yogyakarta's Dr. Sardjito General Hospital.
Flights
Meanwhile, flights to and from Yogyakarta were not affected by the eruption, said Garuda Indonesian Airways spokesman Arif Hardanto.
The air carrier's daily services between Jakarta and Yogyakarta take place seven times, while daily services between Jakarta and Semarang run three times a day and services between Yogyakarta and Denpasar run five times a day.
Merpati Nusantara Airway's spokesman Chairil said daily services continued, one flight each way between Jakarta and Yogyakarta.
The last crisis was in August last year when the mountain was extraordinarily active and nearby residents were placed on evacuation alert. This activity subsided.
The earliest recorded eruption of the mountain was in 1006, when it destroyed the Hindu Mataram kingdom. In 1930, 1,369 people were killed and 26 villages buried. (23/har/01)