A powerful volcanic eruption on Indonesia's most populous island blasted
ash and debris 18 kilometers (12 miles) into the air Friday, killing
three people and forcing authorities to evacuate more than 100,000 and
close seven airports.
The eruption of Mount Kelud on Java island could be heard up to 200
kilometers (125 miles) away, Indonesia's disaster agency said.
"The eruption sounded like thousands of bombs exploding," Ratno Pramono,
a 35-year-old farmer, said as he checked his property in the village of
Sugihwaras, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the crater. "I thought
doomsday was upon us. Women and children were screaming and crying."
Ash and grit fell to earth in towns and cities across the region,
including Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city after Jakarta, with a
population of about 3 million. It also fell farther afield in
Yogyakarta, where motorists switched on headlights in daylight. Workers
attempted to cover the famed ninth century Buddhist temple complex of
Borobudur with plastic sheeting to protect it.
A 60-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man were killed in the village of
Pandansari, about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the mountain, when the
roofs of their homes collapsed under the weight of the ash and volcanic
debris, the disaster agency said. A 70-year-old man died after being hit
by a collapsed wall while waiting to be evacuated from the same
village, where the volcanic ash reached 20 centimeters (8 inches) deep
in some places.
The large international airport in Surabaya and airports in the cities
of Malang, Yogyakarta, Solo, Bandung, Semarang and Cilacap were closed
due to reduced visibility and the dangers posed to aircraft engines by
ash, Transport Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said. Virgin Australia
said it canceled its Friday flights from Australia to several locations
due to the eruption, including the resort islands of Bali in Indonesia
and Phuket in Thailand.
The disaster agency said tremors were still wracking the volcano but
that scientists didn't expect another major eruption. It said residents
of all villages within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of Kelud — more than
100,000 people — had been evacuated to temporary shelters, but that some
were returning to their homes to begin cleaning up.
The 1,731-meter (5,680-foot) -high mountain in eastern Java —
Indonesia's most densely populated island and home to more than half of
the country's 240 million people — had been rumbling for several weeks
and was under close observation. The mountain is about 600 kilometers
(375 miles) east of Jakarta, the capital.
As night fell, the volcano continued to rumble, spewing ash high into the air, though smaller amounts than earlier.
"It seems Kelud isn't finished yet," said Retno Dwiningtyas, a mother of
three who was sitting in a government shelter watching television
reports of her village showing crumpled roofs, farms and broken chairs
blanketed with thick gray ash. "We are afraid for our cattle, our farm."
Muhammad Hendrasto, head of Indonesia's volcano monitoring agency, said
the mountain erupted violently about 90 minutes after authorities raised
its alert status to the highest level. The disaster agency said it had
spewed millions of cubic meters of debris into the atmosphere.
Kediri, a normally bustling town about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the
mountain, was largely deserted as residents stayed indoors to avoid the
choking ash.
