Indonesian volcano threatens to erupt

Lava spills from Mount Merapi in central Java, Indonesia, yesterday. Volcanologists raised the alert status yesterday, prompting a mandatory evacuation of around 30,000 villagers living in the area. PHOTO: EPA

Thousands of villagers fled their homes in the path of red-hot lava flows oozing from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano yesterday as officials said an eruption looked imminent.

But many residents were still reluctant to leave, despite a mandatory evacuation order, they said.

"Merapi's alert status has been upgraded to the highest level of alert," said Jilal, from the volcanology office in Yogyakarta, a university town 30km from the volcano.

"The increasing volcanic activity has led us to make this decision," Jilal said.

Merapi has been spewing ominous hot volcanic ash and shooting thick white smoke hundreds of meters into the air from its boiling crater.

The volcano was raised to a "stand-by" alert level a month ago and its activity has escalated steadily since then.

Jilal said 30 blazing lava flows were reported to be streaming toward the Krasak and Boyong rivers along the southwestern slopes of the mountain, reaching a distance of 1.5km from the volcano's peak on Friday.

Three out of the five districts around the slopes of Merapi -- which means Mountain of Fire -- are considered to be in the immediate danger zone.

Edy Susanto, head of Magelang district's evacuation agency, said officials since late Friday night had begun evacuating some 7,000 residents living in eight villages on the western and southwestern slopes of Merapi.

"We are trying our best not to cause panic among the residents but our main problem is some of these people refuse to be evacuated," Susanto said.

Traditional beliefs hold that Merapi will only erupt after certain omens, some of which appear in dreams, leaving many more superstitious residents reluctant to leave without them becoming apparent.

Some residents however have told officials they are worried about their property, cattle and crops being taken if they depart.

Susanto said officials began evacuating people hours before Merapi's alert status was officially raised.

"Our main priority is for these people to be safely evacuated with the help of the armed forces, soldiers and police," Susanto said, adding that the residents would be taken to some 30 refugee shelters located across Magelang.

A new lava dome has been rapidly forming at the peak of Mount Merapi, growing 75m in two weeks. Scientists have said that its collapse will release lava as well as deadly nuees ardentes, or clouds of volcanic gases, ash, and dust reaching temperatures up to 500oC.