MAGELANG, Central Java (Antara): Vice President Jusuf Kalla called on local administrations to immediately evacuate residents living near the slopes of Mt. Merapi.
"I am calling for the immediate evacuation of at least 50 percent of residents from danger areas," Kalla said after a closed-door meeting with officials from local administrations around Mt. Merapi. The meeting was held in the Central Java town of Magelang.
Some 30,000 residents would have to be evacuated from Mt. Merapi if the volcano erupts.
The Vice President warned residents it was impossible to predict exactly when Merapi would erupt. "It is only a matter of time. It (the explosion) can be within one day, two days, threedays, one week or one month," said Kalla, who was accompanied by a number of ministers.
Merapi has a history of being unpredictable, and many of the nearby villagers are distrustful of modern science.
The 2,956-meter high Merapi is one of at least 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia -- part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" - a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.
It last erupted in 1994, sending out a searing cloud of gas that killed 60 people. About 1,300 people were killed when it erupted in 1930.
Thousands of residents have left their homes for safer areas since late last month. But many of them have returned home. Many villagers are ignoring warnings about the pending danger, citing traditional beliefs about the volcano, as well as the need tocontinue working.
Smoke and lava have been spewing from the volcano and sensors within the crater have detected a rise in seismic activity in recent weeks, leading scientists to warn a major eruption is imminent. (**)
Taken from The Jakarta Post
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