Residents in villages on the slopes of Mt. Merapi have reported that the volcano spewed out hot gas clouds Monday night.
Several residents said they had heard an explosion Monday evening, and later at around 10 p.m. they saw hot gas clouds rolling down the mountain, a villager said as quoted by Antara newswire.
As of 11 p.m. last night, there were no reports of volcanic ash rain, a resident from Ngargomulyo village, Magelang, said.
Magelang is one of several regencies bordering the volcano that has been heavily affected by the recent frequent eruptions, which began Oct. 26.
Dozens of village residents living on the mountain’s slopes were wary of further eruptions, having just returned to their homes after spending two weeks at evacuation shelters.
Ismail, one of the men assigned to keep a look out for more activity, said he had received reports from residents in Krinjing village, around 6.5 kilometers west of Merapi’s peak, that the gas clouds were heading south.
-The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
