- Title: INDONESIA: ACTIVITY IN MOUNT MERAPI VOLCANO INTENSIFIES
- Date: 30th January 2001
- Summary: CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA (JANUARY 28, 2001) (REUTERS) 1. GV MOUNT MERAPI; LV DUST AND HEAT CLOUDS SPEWING (2 SHOTS) 0.12 2. SCU MAN LOOKING AT VOLCANO THROUGH BINOCULARS; SCU BOY HOLDING BINOCULARS; MV RESIDENTS WATCHING VOLCANO (3 SHOTS) 0.33 3. SLV CARS PARKED ON DIRTY ROAD; SLV MOTORBIKES PARKED OUTSIDE OBSERVATION TOWER (4 SHOTS) 0.53 4. LV VOLCANO; HEAT CLOUDS; MV MORE OF RESIDENTS WATCHING VOLCANO; GV VOLCANO (6 SHOTS) 1.29 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) VISITOR SAYING "I came to see the volcano up close, to see one of the earth's miracles. The news about it travels across the world, therefore I must see it myself along with my family". 1.53 6. SCU/MV BOY AND MOTHER WATCHING (2 SHOTS) 2.04 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 14th February 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEAR YOGYAKARTA, JAVA, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Reuters ID: LVA1WIO6QM6XT3GCG1V9NRLCBFZP
- Story Text: Activity in Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano, spewing
lava and dust for several days, has been intensifying
and residents in the area have been advised to evacuate.
But the volcano has become a sort of tourist attraction,
with dozens of curious spectators travelling to watch it
from a distance, despite the evacuation advisory.
Residents came from near and far to see the active
volcano on Sunday (January 28), ignoring warnings from local
authorities.
Activity in the 2,968-meter-high (9,735 feet) volcano has
intensified in recent days, spewing lava, dust and heat
clouds. Thick clouds of dust have reached a radius of 15 km
(9.3 miles).
Residents in the area have been advised to evacuate, but
none seemed to follow the order.
Both young and old came to the Babadan observation tower
to watch Mount Merapi up close.
"I came to see the volcano up close, to see one of the
earth's miracles. The news about it travels across the world,
therefore I must see it myself along with my family," said one
visitor.
Merapi is currently on the state of alert, one level below
the highest warning category.
Clouds of hot gas have reached as high as two km (1.2
miles) above the mountain's 2,968 metre (9,735 feet) peak and
residents around the volcano have reported thick dust falling
on their villages.
In November 1994, Merapi, 400 km (250 miles) east of
Jakarta, erupted without warning and killed 60 people.
In January 1997, more than 8,000 villagers had to be
evacuated after the volcano spewed hot gas, ash and lava over
the surrounding area.
Merapi's most destructive eruption this century was in
1930, when 1,300 people were killed.
The volcano is about 20 km (12 miles) from the ancient
royal capital of Yogyakarta, now a city of two million people
and lies in one of the country's densely-populated areas.
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