Indonesia Volcano Violently Erupts, Villagers Flee
Pastor Dale Morgan
Indonesia Volcano Violently Erupts, Villagers Flee*
Saturday November 3, 2007 12:31 PM
By INDRA HARSAPUTRA
Associated Press Writer
MOUNT KELUD, Indonesia (AP) - One of Indonesia's deadliest volcanos
began erupting Saturday, according to seismic readings, but there was no
visual confirmation because the peak was cloaked in fog, a senior
government volcanologist said.
Panicked residents fled the mountain's slopes in police trucks and
volcano monitors abandoned their posts Saturday, witnesses said.
Although no lava or ash could be seen, seismic readings showed Mount
Kelud, in the heart of densely populated Java island, was erupting, said
Saut Simatupang, a leading scientist with Indonesia's Volcanology Center.
Hundreds of underground tremors have shaken the area and the temperature
of its crater lake has reached the highest level since the mountain was
put on high alert several weeks ago.
In 1990, Mount Kelud killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds. In
1919, a powerful explosion that could be heard hundreds of miles away
destroyed dozens of villages and killed at least 5,160.
Scientists fear a buildup of magma under the crater lake could trigger a
violent blast, sending a torrent of mud, ash and rock careering down the
side of the 5,679-foot mountain.
On Thursday, police went door-to-door and used megaphones to order
villagers to flee to tent camps.
More than 100,000 people living in areas considered to be at risk were
ordered from their homes, but most never left or had returned, officials
say.
Some who stayed behind were asked to sign a statement saying they would
not seek compensation if they were injured or lost family members due to
an eruption, said local community leader chief Susiadi, who also goes by
a single name.
Indonesia has about 100 active volcanos, more than any nation.
The country is spread across 17,500 islands and is prone to volcanic
eruptions and earthquakes because of its location on the so-called
``Ring of Fire'' - a series of fault lines stretching from the Western
Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.