Antara News, Friday, November 5, 2010 15:54 WIB | National
Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Managing authority of Adisutjipto airport in Yogyakarta has extended the time limit to close the runway for both domestic and foreign flights on Friday due to volcanic ashes still covering the airport.
Earlier in the morning, the airport`s management announced the runway was closed for three hours from 6 to 9 AM. And later the time limit has been extended to 12 AM since the airport`s management believed the volcanic ashes would endanger smooth flights.
"We will stop all activities at the airport for a whole day if the situation does not change," the airport`s General Manager Agus Andriyanto said here on Friday.
The airport`s authorities had sent four fire trucks and two runway sweepers to clean the runway from the volcanic ashes, he said.
The Mount Merapi, located on the border between two provinces, lies geographically close to Yogyakarta but is officially part of Central Java, and has continuously erupted since October 26, spewing hot clouds into the air and sending lava down its many slopes.
The disaster had not only killed 53 people but also displaced tens of thousands of others from their homes.
Besides causing loss of life, the latest hot clouds of Mount Merapi, which continued to spew lava, ash and hot clouds since Thursday, also caused burns to about 35 residents, including five toddlers. They were all rushed to Dr.Sardjito general hospital for medical treatment.
Due to the intensive big eruptions, the safety zone had been extended to 20 kilometers.
Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, whose eruptions have regularly been detected since 1548.
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