Indonesia’s Mount Merapi exploded with three times the force of the October 26 eruption. This latest blast is the largest since the volcano began erupting over a week ago.
“This is an extraordinary eruption, triple from the first,” state volcanologist Surono told the Associated Press.
In response to the new eruption, Indonesian officials have increased the evacuation zone from 10 to 15 kilometers, and have raised the volcano’s status to “crisis” condition.
Heavy rain, mixing with the expanding ash clouds, has impeded evacuations. Oka Hamid, a spokesman from Red Cross Indonesia, told Bloomberg that 3000 people were still trapped inside the danger zone.
The Indonesian army has been called out to help with the evacuations, while Red Cross workers were using “trucks, motorcycles, anything that can move people to a safer distance,” Hamid said.
The eruptions have killed 42 people, mostly in the initial eruption, Agam Ferdhatama, an official the National Disaster Management Agency told Bloomberg.
“This is an extraordinary eruption, triple from the first,” state volcanologist Surono told the Associated Press.
In response to the new eruption, Indonesian officials have increased the evacuation zone from 10 to 15 kilometers, and have raised the volcano’s status to “crisis” condition.
Heavy rain, mixing with the expanding ash clouds, has impeded evacuations. Oka Hamid, a spokesman from Red Cross Indonesia, told Bloomberg that 3000 people were still trapped inside the danger zone.
The Indonesian army has been called out to help with the evacuations, while Red Cross workers were using “trucks, motorcycles, anything that can move people to a safer distance,” Hamid said.
The eruptions have killed 42 people, mostly in the initial eruption, Agam Ferdhatama, an official the National Disaster Management Agency told Bloomberg.