Thousands of Indonesians Evacuated in Anticipation of Explosive Eruption of Mount Kelut

(03/11/07)

• Mount Kelut, one of Indonesia?s 150 active volcanoes, is a relatively inconspicuous looking 1,731-meter-high stratovolcano that has a crater lake. • It is located on a densely populated part of Java Island, 640 km (385 miles) east of Jakarta, the capital.` • Kelut?s past violent eruptions were unique in that they did not have the normal advance warning signs of smoke and ash. • A violent eruption in 1990 killed dozens. • In 1919, a violent explosion and boiling water from Kelut?s crater lake that caused lahars, hot mudflows, and pyroclastic surges that killed over 5,000 people and destroyed at least a dozen villages. • On October 19th, the threat of an imminent eruption prompted the highest level of warning and an order for the evacuation of 115,000 people living on the slopes of Mount Kelut. • Armed police enforced the order, evacuating residents to a ?safe zone? 5 km (3 miles) from the base of Mount Kelut, where they waited to see what the volcano would do.    Click here to download a PowerPoint Presentation with more details on this Event