Has Merapi volcano erupted or not?
Heru Andriyanto
Xinhua
_____
Magelang (Indonesia):
The Indonesian government denied media reports Thursday that the Merapi volcano in Central Java has erupted, while thousands of villagers on its slope continued to flee the volcano, this time without hesitation.
"Merapi has not erupted yet. What is happening there is increasing volcanic activities as shown by gas clouds and lava, like what we have been witnessing over the last one month," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said at a news conference in Jakarta.
However, Bakrie said residents within a 7-km radius of the crater should leave immediately and unconditionally.
Metro TV reported earlier the "eruption" occurred at 09:05 a.m.(02:05 GMT) with a thunderous sound, followed by lava flowing into nearest rivers and gas clouds mushrooming from the crater.
Reports from the volcano monitoring office in Yogyakarta said gas clouds with a temperature of 175 Celsius degree flew down as far as 5 km, the longest range since Merapi was placed in the highest alert status on May 15.
The clouds burned forest trees and crops grown by villagers.
"For me, that was an eruption," said Wiryo Sumarto, who has been living on the Merapi slope since he was born 68 years ago.
June 08, 2006
Heru Andriyanto
Xinhua
_____
Magelang (Indonesia):
The Indonesian government denied media reports Thursday that the Merapi volcano in Central Java has erupted, while thousands of villagers on its slope continued to flee the volcano, this time without hesitation.
"Merapi has not erupted yet. What is happening there is increasing volcanic activities as shown by gas clouds and lava, like what we have been witnessing over the last one month," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said at a news conference in Jakarta.
However, Bakrie said residents within a 7-km radius of the crater should leave immediately and unconditionally.
Metro TV reported earlier the "eruption" occurred at 09:05 a.m.(02:05 GMT) with a thunderous sound, followed by lava flowing into nearest rivers and gas clouds mushrooming from the crater.
Reports from the volcano monitoring office in Yogyakarta said gas clouds with a temperature of 175 Celsius degree flew down as far as 5 km, the longest range since Merapi was placed in the highest alert status on May 15.
The clouds burned forest trees and crops grown by villagers.
"For me, that was an eruption," said Wiryo Sumarto, who has been living on the Merapi slope since he was born 68 years ago.
June 08, 2006
