Indonesia: Volcano evacuees allowed to return homes

By Nicky Aulia Widadio

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) – More than a hundred evacuees living on the south side of Mt. Merapi volcano were allowed to return their homes on Tuesday.

Biwara Yuwastana, the chief executive of the Yogyakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency, said Kalitengah Lor in the Cangkringan area is no longer facing the potential threat of Merapi eruption.

“As many as 187 evacuees were allowed to return their homes today,” Yuwastana told Anadolu Agency.

The danger zone of Mt. Merapi is at a distance of 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the summit. However, residents are advised to evacuate in areas prone to volcanic eruption at any time as the alert level of the mount remains high.

Mt. Merapi is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta provinces. It is located approximately 28 km (17 mi) north of the Yogyakarta city.

According to the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center, Mt. Merapi emitted hot clouds with a sliding distance of approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) on Tuesday morning. The disaster center also noted the emergence of material avalanches and lava in the last 24 hours.

*Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language service in Jakarta