VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 11 - Mount Merapi, which straddles Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, spewed columns of ash as far as 1,200 meters into the sky on Thursday, according to the Geological Disaster Research and Technology Development Center (BPPTKG).

The volcano emitted clouds of hot ash in the southwesterly direction at 2.03 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB), the agency reported.

“The hot clouds were recorded in the seismograph with an amplitude of 45 mm and a duration of 86 seconds,” BPPTKG chief Hanik Humaida said in an official statement released on Thursday.

During the observation period from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. WIB, the volcano emitted lava three times, with a maximum sliding distance of 900 meters in the southwesterly direction, he added.

The volcano experienced 34 earthquake avalanches, with an amplitude of 3-36 mm and a duration of 10-78 seconds, and one earthquake gust with an amplitude of 6 mm and a duration of 9 seconds, he said.

The BPPTKG has retained the volcano’s alert status at Level III.

The lava and hot clouds ejected by the volcano were projected to affect areas located south and southwest of the volcano, including Kuning, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih. (Antaranews)