Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Mount Merapi, an active volcano located on the border
of Yogyakarta and Central Java, spewed forth lava and
steam again on Wednesday night. But there were no
fatalities or damage reported.
The lava erupted from a recently formed crater and
ended up in the Rivers Lamat and Senowo in Magelang
Regency, Central Java. The eruption lasted for just over
an hour from 9:51 p.m. local time to 10:54 p.m.
The moderate eruption was not visible due to a thick
layer of cloud cover hovering around the mountain's peak.
But the blast was detected by seismographic equipment at
the observation post in Babakan, Magelang.
It was the third such eruption this month after two
others occurred on Feb. 6 and Feb. 13.
"We can't detect which part of the new crater is
sliding," Sunarto, a staff member at the observation
post, told The Jakarta Post here on Thursday.
The Volcanology Development and Investigation Agency in
Yogyakarta has called on people living on the mountain
slope to remain alert.
"We call on villagers, especially those that
gather sand from the Rivers Putih and Bebeng (in Magelang
Regency), to stop working in the area for at least the
next 24 hours due to fears of a major eruption,"
Sunarto said on Thursday evening.
Subandrio, a staff member with the Volcanology
Development and Investigating Agency, said the recent
eruptions could be a result of excessive rain which causes
pressure in certain areas of the crater.
"We will continue to monitor the mountain's
activities during the rainy season because the rainfall
surrounding the mountain is above average," he said.