Mount Merapi Launches Hot Clouds Falling 2 Kilometers, BPPTKG: Alert Status

JAKARTA - Mount Merapi on the border of Central Java Province and Yogyakarta Special Region launched hot clouds of avalanche with a sliding distance of 2,000 meters (2 km) to the southwest on Tuesday, May 5 evening.

Head of the Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center (BPPTKG) Hanik Humaida said the hot clouds of avalanches occurred at 21.43 western Indonesia time.

"The hot avalanche clouds were recorded on the seismogram with an amplitude of 45 mm and a duration of 146 seconds," Hanik said in a statement as quoted by Antara.

During the observation period from 12.00 to 18.00 western Indonesia time, the active volcano was also recorded to have experienced 35 avalanches with an amplitude of 3-23 mm for 8-85 seconds, five times a multi-phase earthquake with an amplitude of 3-6 mm for 5-9 seconds, and one shallow volcanic earthquake with an amplitude of 25 mm for 12 seconds.

Until now, the BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi at level III or is on alert.

It is estimated that the volcanic lava and hot clouds of Mount Merapi could affect the south-southwest sector, which includes the Yellow, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih Rivers.

When the eruption occurred, the eruption of volcanic material from Mount Merapi was estimated to reach an area within a radius of three kilometers from the top of the mountain.