Jakarta, Oct 26 (ANTARA) - Evacuation of the victims of MT Merapi which erupted in Yogyakarta on Tuesday evening could not proceed smoothly as rescue workers were constrained by rains of hot volcanic ashes which blanketed areas classified as danger zones.
"Prone areas included three subdistricts of Cangkringan, Pakem and Turi in Sleman district, Yogyakarta," said Lt. Col Beni Nugroho at the Merapi Main Disaster Control Post in Pakem on Tuesday.
He said that rescuers had only reached the gate of the Kaliurang Tourist Site, about 10 km from Mt Merapi's peak so that the areas could not yet be reached by the rescuers team.
Mount Merapi erupted on Tuesday evening, spewing hot clouds several times. "Between 5.02 p.m. and 5.34 p.m. the volcano spewed hot clouds four times and right now hot clouds are coming out of the volcano again and again," Head of the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre Surono said.
The hot clouds signified the eruption of Mount Merapi after the agency had raised the alert status to the highest level the day before, he said.
Up to 8 pm, the number of injured victims had reached 15 people. They suffered from burns as a result of exposure to the hot clouds which showered the area. Rescuers took them to several hospitals, among others the Panti Nugroho hospital in Pakem and Sardjito hospital in Yoyakarta.
So far, a total of 1,756 residents from the three subdistricts in Sleman district, have been evacuated to several refugee centers when Mt Merapi status was raised to the red alert level.
"We give priority to risk prone groups of people such as elderly people, under five-year-old children, pregnant women, the disabled," chief rescuer Budharjo at the Mount Eruption Main disaster Command Post in Pakem, said.
He said that of the total refugees, 999 were from Cangkringan subdistrict, 519 from Pakem and and 247 from Turi sub-districts.
The number of population in Cangkringan reaches 4,492 with 1,116 included in the risk prone group. It has the capacity to accommodate 4,500 refugees. Pakem has a population of 6,871 with 2,102 people included in the risk prone group and with a capacity of accommodating 6,900 refugees.
In the meantime, Turi has 2,218 villagers with 527 people grouped in the risk prone one and a barrack capacity of accommodating 2,400 refugees.
Yoyakarta's Volcanic Technology Research and Development Agency (BPPTK) raised the status of Mt Merapi on Thursday from cautious to the alert level. Mt Merapi has four stages of status level, namely active in normal level, cautious, alert and red alert.
On Tuesday evening, when Mt Merapi erupted, the first hot cloud which emerged at 5.02 p.m. moved in westerly direction. But the next hot clouds could not be monitored well because of rains falling on the volcano's peak.
A danger siren at Kaliurang area in Sleman district sounded at 5.57. At 6.05 p.m. the Yogyakarta Vulcanological Technology Research and Development Center pulled out all its personnel from observatory posts.
"In the 2006 (eruption), hot clouds lasted for seven minutes. But this time the hot clouds have lasted for more than 20 minutes now," Surono said.
The long duration of hot clouds showed fairly powerful energy, he said.
At around 6.00 p.m. officers at the Jrakah and Selo posts heard three eruptions and later the volcano sent smoke 1.5 km into the sky. "It is sure the type of Merapi's eruption is explosive," he said.
In Magelang district, the Search and Rescue (SAR) team has earlier set up at least 10 emergency evacuation tents in a number of locations. "We have set up 10 tents in three evacuation locations," commandant of Magelang SAR team, Heri Prawato said.
The tents were set up in the villages of Ngargosoko in Dukun sub-district, Jeruk Agung in Srumbung sub-district and Tanjung in Muntilan district. The team will still set up tents in other places to provide assistance and emergency shelters for residents.
He said that of the ten tents, five in Ngargosoko with a capacity of accommodating 2,575 refugees from Kalibening village, Dukun sub-district, three in Jeruk Agung village and two others in Tanjung. Most of the areas of Magelang district which consisted of 21 sub-districts, were included in the danger zone.
In the meantime, the central government has provided Rp500 million in funds for handling thousands of people fleeing their villages near and inside Mount Merapi's danger zones.
Vice President Boediono handed the funds to Yogyakarta provincial authorities at the office of the Hargobinangun village head in Pakem sub-district, Sleman district, on Tuesday.
The money was taken from the Health Ministry's budget. Besides the funds, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih had also provided operational funds totaling Rp200 million and medical services for the refugees.
The Health Ministry did not only supply four tons of medicines and 50,000 medical masks but also six tons of supplementary food to reinforce breast milk.
At least 70 people were killed when the volcano erupted in 1994 after its lava dome collapsed. The volcano killed an estimated 1,300 people in 1930. Mt Merapi last erupted in 2006 when it belched hot clouds, emitted glowing lava and showered its areas with dust rains.***3***(T.A014/H=NG ) 26 - Oct - 2010
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