11/05/10 Update: Death Toll Climbs to 122 in Indonesia Volcano's Latest Eruption on the 5th of November | Others Severely Burned | Photos

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Indonesian soldiers evacuate villagers from their homes following another eruption of Mt. Merapi in Cangkringan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 3.

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New Mt. Merapi eruption in Indonesia raises death toll into triple digits

The latest Mt. Merapi eruption, which began late Thursday night, pushed the death toll from the eruptions that began Oct. 26 to more than 100 and burned villages up to nine miles from the crater.

By Sara Schonhardt, Correspondent (The Christian Science Monitor) / November 5, 2010
Jakarta, Indonesia

The death toll from Indonesia’s Mt. Merapi doubled Friday when rescue workers uncovered more than 50 victims who had succumbed to the latest blast of superheated gas from a fierce eruption that began late Thursday night. The eruption burned villages up to nine miles away from the volcano’s crater and forced authorities to widen the evacuation zone.

The volatile volcano has killed more than 100 people and left nearly 90,000 in need of shelter since it first began erupting 10 days ago.

Shelters closer than 12 miles to the summit have been relocated and many evacuees were forced to move for a second time in two days. On Friday afternoon, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared the eruption a national disaster and tasked the country’s disaster management agency with overseeing relief operations.

Increasingly powerful eruptions have hampered relief efforts and caused panic among evacuees shaken by the intensity of the previous three days’ blasts. Officials widened the evacuation zone Thursday. The latest eruption sounded as people were loading into the trucks that would take them further down the volcano.

Many people panicked and were separated from their families in the chaos, says Haris Eko Yulianto, the head of the Indonesian Red Cross in Jogjakarta. He is working with the authorities to secure enough water, masks and eye drops to last evacuees for one week. The Red Cross is also distributing other aid, such as blankets and mattresses and providing health consultations.

Yulianto said the biggest worry is that people will become sick from breathing the thick dust and sand in the air.

Thursday’s blast has continued nonstop, and the stream of ash spewing from the volcano has darkened the sky over nearby Jogjakarta. Ash falls like snow, and the Gendol River flanking the volcano runs grey from the debris. All flights to the city have been cancelled.

Merapi has erupted four times in the past decade, but the last time the volcano took such a toll was in 1930, when 1,300 people were killed. Until Thursday, most of the fatalities were from the initial blast on Oct. 26. Some rescue officials have criticized the government for not issuing an evacuation warning earlier. They say the government should have used more force to ensure that people near the top of the volcano moved to safety.

Most of the people who rely on Merapi’s fertile slopes are traditional farmers with a deep spiritual connection to the volcano. Despite the eruptions, many returned to their homes when the volcano was quiet to check on their crops and livestock. But the intensified blasts have stirred fear among many villagers. Those who hoped they would be able to leave the camps after just a few days are now uncertain about what the future holds.

The head of Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency, Surono, said the pressure inside the volcano’s chamber is much deeper than in earlier eruptions. As pressure builds deeper it produces more forceful eruptions that release greater volumes of ash and debris.

“If the deep volcanic earthquakes increase, in number and in energy, I’m scared Merapi will erupt with a big intensity,” Surono said.

To ease people’s fears, President Yudhoyono said the government would compensate villagers for the cattle left on the volcano. Police were also being brought in to secure empty homes and keep people out of the danger zone.

Other volcanoes around Indonesia have shown increasing activity in recent weeks, though scientists remain uncertain as to whether there is a direct connection.

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New York Daily News

Indonesia volcanic eruption: Mount Merapi spews lava, superheated gas; at least 122 dead

By Ethan Sacks

Friday, November 5th 2010, 5:46 PM

Hendratmo/AP
Villagers weep at a temporary shelter for those who are affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia, Friday.

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*

The death toll is climbing in the wake of another Indonesia volcanic eruption Thursday night and early Friday.

Sixty mile-an-hour lava flows and plumes of super-heated gas rained down on unsuspecting villagers that live in the shadow of Central Java island's Mount Merapi.

By Friday, authorities say bodies found in the white ash brought the toll to at least 122 dead.

"The heat surrounded us and there was white smoke everywhere," said 47-year-old Niti Raharjo, who tried to escape on a motorbike with his son before the lava overtook them.

"I saw people running, screaming in the dark, women so scared they fell unconscious," he told the Associated Press from a local hospital.

The government estimates that 160,000 others fled their homes several eruptions over the last few days.

"This is Merapi's worst eruption in the last 100 years," the Indonesia's top government geologist R. Sukhyar told the Jakarta Post.

Hardest hit was the village of Bronggang, nine miles from Mount Merapi's crater, where the AP reporter on the scene described "crumpled roofs, charred carcasses of cattle, and broken chairs — all layered in white soot." Rescue workers could be seen removing dozens of bodies Friday from the streets of the village.

Another village, Argomulyo, was the scene of similar devestation 11 miles from the spewing crater.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/11/05/2010-11-05_indonesia_volcanic_e...

Last week's disaster (earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruptions):

http://current.com/news/92747748_updates-449-dead-270-injured-96-missing-after-7...