Indonesia volcano back on highest alert level

JAKARTA - Indonesia raised the alert status of Mount Merapi volcano to its highest level again after it spewed hot clouds yesterday, a day after it lowered the warning.

Merapi in central Java, near the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta, had been on the highest alert level since mid-May until yesterday when a volcano monitoring centre said decreasing activity had made it less dangerous.

"The status was upgraded at 2pm (8pm NZT) because of the increasing hot clouds," said Triyani, an official at the state-run monitoring centre in Yogyakarta.

Many people who had moved back to their homes in nearby villages headed for evacuation shelters after the government raised the alert level.

On Tuesday, the volcano centre had recommended the government let people return home because villages located 6-7 km from the peak were considered safe.

"Those who have returned home now are going back to the evacuation barracks," said Sulistiyo, who manages evacuees in Sleman regency on Merapi's southern foothill.

After spewing huge gas clouds and lava last week, Merapi had calmed down for a few days, but yesterday began spitting out hot smoke again.

"The hot clouds have gone beyond 6 km. The emissions are continuous and that's our reason behind the upgrade," Subandrio, a senior volcanologist at the centre, told Jakarta-based Radio Elshinta.

A siren went off when the hot gas stretched beyond 4 km around noon, sparking panic among some residents.

Experts fear a lava dome, building since April due to increased activity, could collapse, generating clouds of gas and lava flows that could cause fatalities.

The volcano has become more active since an earthquake last month that struck Yogyakarta and nearby areas killing more than 5,700 people.

More than 60 people were killed when Merapi last erupted in 1994, while 1,300 died in a 1930 eruption.

- REUTERS