Posted 20 May 2006 @ 10:00
Updated 20 May 2006 @ 10:07
YOGYAKARTA, 20 May 2006 - Activity at Indonesia's Mount Merapi declined Saturday, but the volcano kept spewing out searing hot gas and lava and remained a threat to villagers living on its slopes, a scientist said. The 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) volcano has been rocked by a series of spectacular eruptions since Saturday, regularly shooting out lava and deadly clouds of hot ash and debris.
On Saturday, "activity declined a bit, but Merapi is still dangerous,'' said Subandrio, one of a team of government scientist keeping a 24-hour watch over the peak. By midday, the mountain had shot out seven clouds of gas and ash, said Subandrio, who goes by a single name. Authorities say they have no plans to lift the evacuation order put in place last week that saw more than 5,000 people leave villages closest to the crater.
Many others ignored the order, or have since returned home, saying they were bored with camp life. Mount Merapi, which translates as "Fire Mountain,'' has erupted scores of times over the last 200 years, often with deadly results. It is one of the world's most active volcanoes.
19 May 2006: Hot lava flows from Mount Merapi's slope in this picture taken from Tunggularum, Girikerto, Sleman, near Yogyakarta, early today. The 3,000-meter volcano which has been shooting out lava and deadly clouds of hot ash and debris for several weeks, was put on high alert last weekend and has since been rocked by a series of eruptions.
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