Google – AFP, Bintang Senandung Nacita (AFP), 14 February 2014
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Indonesian
airport personnel inspect ash-covered planes at Yogyakarta airport
after the
Mount Kelud volcano in erupted in East Java province on February 14,
2014 (AFP,
Ninoy)
|
Blitar — A
spectacular volcanic eruption in Indonesia has killed two people and forced
mass evacuations, disrupting long-haul flights and closing international
airports Friday.
Mount
Kelud, considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the main island of
Java, spewed red-hot ash and rocks high into the air late Thursday night just
hours after its alert status was raised.
Villagers
in eastern Java described the terror of volcanic materials raining down on
their homes, while AFP correspondents at the scene saw residents covered in
grey dust fleeing in cars and on motorbikes towards evacuation centres.
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An
Indonesian military soldier carries a
collapsed resident during the evacuation
in Malang, East Java province, on Feb.14,
2014 (AFP, Aman Rochman)
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Sunar, a
60-year-old from a village eight kilometres (five miles) in Blitar district,
said his home also collapsed after being hit with "rocks the size of
fists".
"The
whole place was shaking -- it was like we were on a ship in high seas. We fled
and could see lava in the distance flowing into a river," said Sunar, who
goes by one name.
A man and a
woman, both in their 60s, were crushed to death after volcanic material that
had blanketed rooftops caused their homes in the sub-district of Malang to cave
in, National Disaster Mitigation Agency Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Dian
Julihadi, 32, from Blitar district, said: "It was like fireworks. There
was a loud bang and bright red lights shot up into the air."
Nugroho
confirmed the materials were still raining down on villages within a radius of
15 kilometres from the volcano on Friday, but said that some activities were
resuming "as normal".
Some
200,000 people were ordered to evacuate, though some families have ignored the
orders and just over 100,000 are now in temporary shelters, Nugroho said.
Several
people tried to return home to gather clothing and valuables -- only to be
forced back by the continuous downpour of volcanic materials.
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A resident
clears volcanic ash on the road of Kediri in East Java province
following the
eruption of the Mount Kelud volcano on February 14, 2014
(AFP, Juni Kriswanto)
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- 'Too
dangerous to fly' -
The ash has
blanketed the Javanese cities of Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Solo, where
international airports have been closed temporarily, Transport Ministry
director general of aviation Herry Bakti said, while grounded planes were seen
covered in the dust.
"All
flights to those airports have been cancelled, and other flights, including
some between Australia and Indonesia, have been rerouted," Bakti said,
adding it was too dangerous to fly near the plume.
Virgin
Australia said in a statement it had cancelled all its flights to and from
Phuket, Bali, Christmas Island and Cocos Island on Friday, adding that
"the safety of our customers is the highest priority" and that the
airline would keep monitoring conditions.
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A resident
takes photos during the eruption
of Mount Kelud volcano from Kediri town in
East Java province on February 14, 2014
(AFP, Juni Kriswanto)
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Australian
nurse Susanne Webster, 38, was on a late-morning Virgin flight from Sydney to
Bali that was turned around.
"About
two hours in, the pilot announced over in Indonesia there was a volcano that
erupted and that we were turning the plane back," she told AFP, adding
they were still in Australian airspace at the time.
Australian
airline Qantas postponed Friday flights between Jakarta and Sydney to Saturday,
while Singapore Airlines cancelled its flights to Surabaya, a popular
destination for golfing tourists.
Air Asia
cancelled flights to several Javanese cities, with 21 flights affected in
total, including three between Indonesian and Malaysia.
"The
ashes could... compromise the safety and performance of the aircraft, such as
(cause) permanent damage to the engine," Air Asia said in a statement, adding
visibility was also a concern.
On the
outskirts of Yogyakarta, authorities closed Borobudur -- the world's largest
Buddhist temple, which attracts hundreds of tourists daily -- after it was
rained upon with dust from the volcano about 200 kilometres to the east.
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Map of
Indonesia showing the location of Mount Kelud volcano (AFP Graphic)
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Around 400
people remained at a temporary shelter in the village of Bladak, roughly 10
kilometres from the volcano's crater, after spending the night on the floor
wearing safety masks.
The Center
for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said there was little chance
of another eruption as powerful as Thursday night's, but tremors could still be
felt Friday as communities began clearing piles of ash up to five centimetres
high on roads.
The
1,731-metre (5,712-foot) Mount Kelud has claimed more than 15,000 lives since
1500, including around 10,000 deaths in a massive eruption in 1568.
It is one
of 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a
belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean.
Earlier
this month another volcano, Mount Sinabung on western Sumatra island unleashed
an enormous eruption that left at least 16 dead and has been erupting almost
daily since September.
