HARGOBINANGUN, Indonesia, Oct 30, (AFP) -Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted violently early Saturday, sparking chaos as people tried to scramble to safety, fearful of a repeat of this week's deadly explosions.
The loud blast at around 1:00 am (1800 GMT Friday) sent soldiers and police posted near the volcano fleeing, along with hundreds of locals, who quickly clogged roads with cars and motorcycles.
No one was known to have died in the actual eruption on Saturday, but two people were killed during the chaotic evacuation, hospital staff said.
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| Women cross an ash-covered street after the eruption of Mount Merapi volcano, in the ancient city of Yogyakarta, October 30, 2010. (REUTERS) |
So far, 36 people have been confirmed dead as a direct result of the eruption of the volcano earlier this week. “A total of 38 people have been killed because of burn injuries and accidents since the 26th. Two of them, an adult woman and a one year-old boy, died because of accidents,” Sardjito hospital spokesman Arif Novianto said.
Kris Budianto, 51, told AFP how he fell off his motorbike as he fled to safety. “I was sleeping on the veranda when loud booms like thunder woke me up,” he said. “I quickly took my motorbike and rushed down in panic to safety. But on the way down, I fell from my motorbike.” He has facial wounds and his right arm is broken.
Government volcanologist Subandrio said more eruptions were likely. “We think there will be other explosive eruptions because we discovered a lot of magma on Merapi's crater,” he told AFP.
He said the government had to be “more serious” about enforcing the exclusion zone amid persistent reports of people leaving displacement camps to tend to their livestock on the volcano's slopes.
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