Officials said the villagers were apprehensive as the volcano had emitted ash clouds 14 times earlier in the day.
“They felt shocked and ran out from their homes; however, it did not happen (again) for some time, and they have returned home,” subdistrict head of Cangkringan, Suparmono, stated.
“We are not evacuating people from Merapi. They haven’t been evacuated to the barracks,” Suparmono informed, noting that the area is still relatively safe with no reports of ash rain.
The local government along with military personnel and police as well as groups of social workers are monitoring Mount Merapi, he added.
Related news: Mount Merapi spews hot lava for 36 times
Earlier on Wednesday, the Geological Disaster Research and Technology Development Centre (BPPTKG) of Yogyakarta had informed that the volcano, located between Yogyakarta and Central Java, spewed ash clouds 14 times in the morning, with a maximum range of 1,500 meters in the southwest direction.
“The ash cloud reportedly caused low intensity ash rain over several villages in Tamansari sub-district of Boyolali (in Central Java)," Hanik Humaida, head of the BPPTKG, said in a statement.
She asked residents to be prepared for disruptions caused by the volcanic ash.
The agency maintained the status of Mount Merapi as alert, or Level III, with a potential hazard of lava sparks and ash clouds over the south and west sectors, with a maximum range of five kilometers.
If there is an explosion, volcanic material could reach a three-kilometer radius from the peak, it said. (INE)
Related news: Mount Merapi ejects ash clouds 14 times in 4 hours
Translator: Victorianus Sat Pranyoto, Suwa
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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