Instead, they had climbed the volcano that erupted last year through Plalangan hamlet`s track in Lencoh village, Selo subdistrict, Boyolali district, Central Java, since two weeks ago, said Muh Sony, a travel guide who frequently escorted them, here Sunday.
"Tens of climbers, including 25 foreigners who are doing research, have climbed the peak of Mount Merapi over these past two weeks," he said.
Among the foreign climbers were from Malaysia, Belgium, Germany, and France. They climbed the volcano as part of their research activities, he said adding that he and other travel guides were willing to escort them due to higher payments they would receive.
He said the amount of payments they received from the foreign researchers was 50 percent higher than that of the normal condition.
Those foreigners started climbing the mountain at about 01.00 AM through Plalangan hamlet`s track in Lencoh village, he said.
In response to the local and foreign climbers` activities, a rescue worker of Lencoh village, Samsuri, said the climbing activities to the peak of Mount Merapi remained prohibited.
"The warning remains on the Plalangan hamlet`s notice board," he said. However, local and foreign climbers ignored the warning and prohibition, he said.
The Mount Merapi`s condition in the aftermath of its deadly eruptions last year remains dangerous partly due to its big amount of remaining volcanic materials.
According to Head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) of Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry`s Geology Agency, Surono, the Mount Merapi`s cold lava floods into rivers in Magelang district would even remain a serious threat over the next four years.
"Volcanic materials from Mount Merapi`s 2010 eruptions are expected to reach 150 million cubic meters," he said recently.
According to Surono, the volcanic materials, which had flown into parts of Magelang had yet to reach one third of 150 million cubic meters of the emitted materials.
Mount Merapi had erupted repeatedly last year but its most fatal eruptions occurred on October 26 and November 5, 2010.
As a result of the eruptions, at least 259 people had perished and many others sustained burns and became displaced.
Mount Merapi, on the border between two provinces, lies geographically close to Yogyakarta but is officially part of Central Java.
It is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, whose eruptions have been recorded from time to time since 1548.
(Uu.R013)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
