MERAPI VULCANO ERUPTION, UPDATE (PRAY FOR INDONESIA) ( Archived) (58)

Update - Mount Merapi Death Toll Rises


Jakarta, Indonesia - 7 November 2010

Mount Merapi, on Central Java, which first started erupting on Oct. 26, a day after a tsunami killed more than 400 people on Mentawai Island, erupted again on Friday. This time the eruption was five times stronger than the initial eruption and raised the death toll above 100 people. As of Saturday afternoon, at least 138 people have been reported killed. Rescuers have been finding bodies in the streets and in front of homes.

Friday's eruption sent hot gas clouds, ash and debris raining down, setting trees and homes on fire. Villagers fled to escape the intense heat. Officials relocated evacuation camps further away from the crater, since the latest victims were killed when a superheated gas cloud set fire to villages 18 kilometers away.

There are now some 200,000 evacuees, and local government, Indonesian Red Cross, NGOs and volunteers are providing humanitarian aid to those affected by the disaster. Hospitals are full and people are being turned away. Victims have over 95% burns on their bodies.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declared the situation a national disaster and put the country's national disaster management agency in charge of the relief operation.

Many airlines have cancelled their flights to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta because of the risks posed by ash clouds from the eruption. Qantas announced on Sunday that its assessment whether to cancel it's flight to Jakarta will be based on weather forecasts over the next few hours.

Meanwhile, authorities are concerned about the increased activity of two other volcanoes in the country. Mount Semeru in Lumajang, East Java, active since 1967 had spewed smoke 100 meters into the air on Thursday. The other volcano is Mount Egon in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara.

Officials are now warning villagers against returning to their villages to look after their livestock, as the situation has become more dangerous.

UPDATE 09-11-2010



PLEASE, KEEP PRAY FOR INDONESIA. GBU

Just imagine.....if we are on their position. God blessed us with safety, let us pray for the victim of merapi eruption. Now more than 400.000 ppl need our help. Our prayer give them more strength. GBU

update 11-11-2010



thanks for your prayer, GBU all

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The death toll from the eruption of Indonesia's most active volcano jumped to 191 on Wednesday as more bodies were pulled from ruined villages, while ash continued to disrupt air traffic.

Mount Merapi, which means “Mountain of Fire“, has been spewing ash and heat clouds since late October, incinerating entire settlements and forcing 340,000 people to flee to makeshift camps.

“The death toll from Merapi has reached 191,“ a disaster management official, who refused to give his name, said. He said the sharp increase in the death toll from 151 was probably due to rescuers recovering more bodies in the central Java area where the volcano is located.

Fast-flowing torrents of boiling hot gas and rock incinerated villages on Friday, killing people as they slept and leaving rescuers to pull bodies from ruined buildings. Government volcanologist Surono said Merapi had twice shot ash high into the air on Wednesday and the area was still unsafe.

“The intensity of the eruption has decreased but the volcano's activity is still high and it still emits heat clouds,“ Surono said.

“The volcano is still on alert status and it's not conducive for people to go home yet.“

Surono said data showed Merapi had belched more heat clouds at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday (2230 GMT Tuesday) which could reach up to four kilometers from the volcano's crater.

The government announced a 20-kilometer “danger zone“ from the top of the volcano on Friday, saying residents within the area should be evacuated.

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific and Australia's Qantas canceled flights because of the the air in Jakarta was smoggy on Wednesday but there were no obvious signs of volcanic ash falling on the city. The Indonesian archipelago has dozens of active volcanoes and straddles major tectonic fault lines known as “ring of fire“ between the Pacific and Indian oceans.