Indonesia's volcano eruption forces flight cancellation

Indonesia's volcano eruption forces flight cancellation

Posted: 02 November 2010 1911 hrs

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Local residents leave a danger zone as Merapi volcano releases ash clouds

SINGAPORE: Airlines have cancelled flights to the Indonesian cities of Solo and Yogyakarta because of the plumes of thick black smoke spewing from the Merapi volcano.

Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Garuda Indonesia and AirAsia cancelled a total of seven flights on Tuesday.

Officials cited poor visibility and heavy ash on the runways of the two airports.

SilkAir said it cancelled two flights on Tuesday morning, one from Solo to Singapore, and another from Singapore to Solo.

Its flight cancellations affected some 139 passengers.

It said arrangements have been made for the affected passengers to take alternative flights.

SilkAir said that while its next flight to Solo will resume only on Thursday, it is closely monitoring the situation.

In an email reply to MediaCorp queries, Professor Chris Newhall, who is a volcano expert with the Earth Observatory at NTU, said it is still an open question whether Merapi will continue to spew ash clouds.

However, he said the Indonesian volcano is very different from the Icelandic volcano, which erupted in April this year, causing the cancellation of flights over Europe, leaving thousands of people stranded at airports.

Professor Newhall said Merapi is very unlikely to produce as much ash as the Icelandic volcano.

He said another important difference is that the ash from the Icelandic volcano was blown far downwind and across all of Europe - effectively closing the whole region.

The expert said it would be highly unlikely for Merapi to cause more airports apart from the Yogyakarta and Solo airports to close, and even then, it is unlikely that the closure will be prolonged.

Mount Merapi has been spewing ash and lava since its first big explosion on October 26.

There have been 10 eruptions since, with three small eruptions occuring on Tuesday.

Mount Merapi has killed about 38 people since its eruption last week. 

- CNA/fa


- wong chee tat :)

Death toll climbs to 32 in Indonesia volcano eruption

By the CNN Wire Staff

October 28, 2010 -- Updated 1214 GMT (2014 HKT)

Deadly eruptions in Indonesia

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Rescue and recovery efforts continue to unfold
• The volcano erupted at least three times Tuesday
• The traditional gatekeeper of Mount Merapi fell victim as well
• The gatekeeper, who was in his 80s, will be buried Thursday

(CNN) -- The death toll from an Indonesian volcano that exploded this week has climbed to 32, medical officials said Thursday.
Rescue and recovery efforts continue to unfold, with the Indonesian government scrambling to help tens of thousands of residents displaced by the eruption.
The volcano erupted at least three times Tuesday, forcing residents to flee.
Mount Merapi, which looms on the horizon north of the major city of Yogyakarta, is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and lies in one of the world's most densely populated areas. The volcano has a summit elevation of nearly 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).

Video: Volcano evacuees on edge

RELATED TOPICS

• Indonesia
• Mount Merapi

Hundreds of displaced residents have crammed a small government building in Yogyakarta. Many had fled with only the clothes on their backs.

Some residents refused to flee, holding out to watch over their crops and livestock. Some residents awaited word from the traditional gatekeeper of Mount Merapi. But Maradjin, the gatekeeper, fell victim to the volcano as well.

He is to be buried Thursday. He died in his 80s, after being appointed about two decades ago by the last Sultan of Java. Maradjin's father was gatekeeper before him.

"Merapi is a house of spirits, which also means a living mountain," Maradjin told CNN in a 2006 interview. "When Merapi emits smoke, we have to be respectful."

CNN's Kathy Quiano and Stan Grant contributed to this report.

- wong chee tat :)