"They built their houses on their own and worked together."Magelang, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of victims of lava floods resulting from the explosion of Mount Merapi in 2010 performed Eid al-Adha prayers at the former disaster site in Gempol hamlet, Jumoyo village, Salam subdistrict, Magelang district, on Friday.
The residents performed prayers at a field beside the ruins of the old settlement, with KH Mahyat Abror acting as the preacher and the priest.
Gempol hamlet head Sudiyanto said the former residents who attended the Eid al-Adha prayers had left the area 1-3 months prior to the volcanic eruption in 2010.
"They are those belonging to the 106 families that had left the place before the disaster," he noted.
Even before the lava floods in 2010, many Gempol hamlet residents performed Eid al-Adha prayers at the same place as they are doing now, because the mosque could never accommodate all of them, Sudiyanto explained.
He expressed hoped that the Gempol residents who were relocated would live without any problems in the upcoming rainy season.
Sudiyanto stated that some residents had refused to be relocated and had built new houses in the area.
"They built their houses on their own and worked together; there was no assistance from the government," he added.
Currently, Gempol residents mostly work at the stone crushing and battery casting companies in the village.
After the Eid al-Adha prayers, the residents slaughtered the sacrificial animals, three goats and one cow. The two goats were brought by the locals, while a cow and a goat were donated by the companies.
(Uu.C005/INE/KR-BSR/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
