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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesian VP Orders Evacuation Of 17000 Around Indonesias Merapi |
| 2006-05-13 |
| Indonesia's Vice President Yusuf Kalla on Thursday ordered authorities to begin evacuating some 17,000 people from around the slopes of rumbling Mount Merapi which has been spewing more lava and smoke. Red-hot lava which had blazed a trail only 200 metres (yards) down Merapi's slopes by Wednesday had reached 1,500 metres down the southern slope, the office monitoring the volcano said in its daily report. "I ask that immediate safety steps are taken, beginning by taking at least 50 percent of the total population from the danger zone down," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency. The vice president, who toured the volcano's slopes and met with ministers and local leaders there holding preparatory talks ahead of an anticipated eruption, said that about 34,000 people were in the current danger zone. "In Magelang, around 15,000 people should be evacuated in one or two days, while (the evacuation) is already progressing in Sleman," Kalla said, referring to the two districts the zone covers. Kalla, who also heads the National Disaster Agency's coordination board, said that an eruption of Merapi was only a matter of time but gave no forecast and the alert status remained one level below that requiring mandatory evacuation. The volcanology office in Yogyakarta, 30 kilometres (18.5 miles) south of Merapi, said that besides the increased lava flow, Merapi was still shooting clouds of smoke 600 meters (yards) into the air. A new lava dome has been rapidly forming at the peak of Mount Merapi. Scientists have said that its collapse will send lava as well as deadly heatclouds speeding down its slopes rather than a massive explosion. Merapi's most deadly eruption occurred in 1930, when 1,369 people were killed. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" noted for its volcanic and seismic activity. The country has more than 100 active volcanoes. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #7 Volcanos - why do they hate |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-05-13 18:36 |
| #6 My bad. It was early here. I hadn't had my tea. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-05-13 16:30 |
| #5 #2 NS: "Somebody in the CIA should be planting that story in the Indo media. But instead they're planting stories in the American media. Which side are they on?" That's a rhetorical question, right? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-05-13 16:09 |
| #4 Phil B- Sadly, my guess is that the mullahs will tell them that it's punishment for not being Islamic enough. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2006-05-13 09:51 |
| #3 I have this fantasy that Merapi is a VEI6 and devastates large areas of Java, just while Ahmadinejad is making one of his dumb speeches. Javanese control of Indonesia collapses and the Balinese rise up. D8 leaders try to flee and get caught by Balinese mobs and they make an example of Ahmadinejad by hanging him from a lamppost. The rest they let go. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-05-13 09:13 |
| #2 Somebody in the CIA should be planting that story in the Indo media. But instead they're planting stories in the American media. Which side are they on? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-05-13 07:58 |
| #1 The Javanese are a superstitious bunch. Volcanos erupting are a seriously omen. Maybe they will decide inviting Ahmadinejad has angered the Gods. BTW a later report says they have gone to the highest level of alert and an eruption seems imminent. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-05-13 06:35 |