Indonesian volcano’s death toll rises to 191

Boys look at the eruption of Mount Merapi volcano in Manisrenggo village, in the Klaten district of Indonesia's central Java province Nov 10, 2010. Mount Merapi showed lethargic signs on Wednesday but authorities would not lower down its alert status because of its intense seismic activities, the head of the country's vulcanolology agency said. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Andry Prasetyo )

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November 10, 2010 (KATAKAMI / CNN) — The toll from recent eruptions of Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano has climbed to 191 dead and 145 seriously injured, government officials said Wednesday.

Scores of others have suffered less severe injuries, said Dr. Sigit Priohutomo, of the Merapi Disaster Health Team.

Recent eruptions of Merapi started on October 26, displacing 200,000 people, relief agencies such as Plan Indonesia have estimated.

On Wednesday, volcanic ash from Merapi forced airlines such as Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas Airways to cancel flights at the Yogyakarta and Jakarta airports, airport officials said.

The threat of ash also prompted the early departure of U.S. President Barack Obama from Indonesia. Obama, who was visiting on a 10-day tour of Asia, left early for South Korea, where he is to attend the G-20 summit.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called the volcano eruptions a crisis situation. On Sunday, he and several of his ministers visited Yogyakarta to oversee relief efforts.

The president has announced that residents will receive compensation for livelihoods and animals lost to the eruptions. The government will buy endangered cows on the volcano, Yudhoyono said. Many of those who live on its slopes raise cattle and risked their lives by staying or returning to feed their cows during lulls of volcanic activity.

Ash columns from Merapi’s recent eruptions have risen as high as 6 kilometers (3.7 miles), according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency.

An ash cloud that hit a village near the crater was about 450 to 600 degrees Celsius (842 to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Indonesian Volcanology Technology Development and Assessment Agency.

The 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) Merapi, in Central Java, is famously unpredictable. About 1,300 people died when it erupted in 1930.

Volcano ash forces flight cancellations in Indonesia

Mount Merapi spews volcanic material as seen from Wukirsari, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010 (AP Photo)

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November 10, 2010 Jakarta, Indonesia (KATAKAMI / CNN) — Volcanic ash spewing from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi has forced some airlines to cancel flights out of Jakarta’s international airport, airport officials said Wednesday.

Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas Airways had canceled flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, airport spokesman Andang Santoso said. Singapore Airlines said it was continuing to fly.

Large clouds of gas and dust from Merapi’s recent eruptions also have forced some flight cancellations into and out of the Yogyakarta airport.

Travelers were asked to check with their airlines for schedule changes.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama shortened his visit to the Indonesian capital because of concerns that volcanic ash could ground Air Force One in Jakarta, according to administration officials.

Recent eruptions of Merapi, which started on October 26, have killed at least 156 people, officials at Sardjito hospital have said. The eruptions also have displaced an estimated 200,000 people.

The 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) Merapi, in Central Java, is famously unpredictable. About 1,300 people died when Merapi erupted in 1930.

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi Volcanic ash disrupts Jetstar flights to Bali

Ash clouds from volcano Mt Merapi in Java have caused disruptions to Jetstar's flight schedule in Bali. (AFP: Clara Prima)

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November 10, 2010 (KATAKAMI / ABC.NET.AU) – Jetstar has been forced to cancel and reschedule flights to and from Bali because of an ash plume from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano.

The airline is Australia’s most frequent carrier to Bali, with four flights out of Australia each day.

But it has stopped night flights to the island because pilots need to make visual checks on approach to the Denpasar airport.

Tonight’s flight from Darwin to Denpasar has been cancelled and a flight from Melbourne to Denpasar was re-routed to Darwin yesterday.

Another flight from Denpasar to Darwin is due to land in Darwin this afternoon – almost 12 hours later than scheduled.

The airline has rescheduled its Sydney-to-Denpasar service to ensure all flights to Bali land in daylight hours.

“It allows our pilots to have full visual scope of coming into and out of Denpasar International Airport airspace and we’re doing that purely as a precautionary measure in line with high safety standards,” Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said.

The airline is offering passengers a range of options to compensate them for any interruptions to their travel.

Terimakasih TNI Polri Yang Ada Bersama Rakyat Saat Indonesia Penuh Bencana

Anggota pasukan khusus KOPASSUS menggunakan masker unuk melakukan pencarian dan evakuasi korban tewas di daerah Pejambon, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta (8 November 2010). Photo : BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images

 

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Photostream : Indonesian Elite Forces (Kopassus) and rescue team evacuated the victims of Mount Merapi eruption http://wp.me/pYE9h-37D

PHOTOSTREAM : Indonesian Elite Forces, We Love You Full Soldier !

Baret Merah Tak Pernah Mati, KOMANDO !!!

Jakarta 09/11/2010 (KATAKAMI) — Hanya beberapa jam sebelum Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama mendarat di Jakarta, sebuah pesan singkat yang sangat “tajam” di jejaring sosial Twitter datang dari Ketua Komisi I DPR-RI Mahfudz Siddiq dari Fraksi Partai Keadilan Sejahtera :

Jika Obama msh persoalkan Kopassus, silakan berkunjung ke Merapi.  Oke?

Sesungguhnya bisa diartikan, pesan sederhana ini adalah sebuah kritikan tentang “nyinyirnya” sejumlah pihak Amerika jika sudah berbicara tentang militer Indonesia.

Seolah-olah, militer Indonesia itu adalah sesuatu yang pantas untuk selalu direcoki karena begitu layak direndahkan.

Lepas dari segala kelebihan atau kekurangan Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), rakyat Indonesia seakan tak rela kalau TNI dinistakan, direndahkan derajatnya dan disama-ratakan dengan kasta terendah dalam kehidupan ini.

Arogansi dari pihak manapun yang secara sengaja merecoki, merendahkan dan menistakan TNI ke titik terendah, perlu membuka mata dan telinga mereka tentang bagaimana pengabdian dan kerja keras TNI dalam melakukan misi-misi kemanusiaan disaat Indonesia sedang berduka yaitu tertimpa bencana demi bencana seperti yang terjadi belakangan ini.

Tak cuma TNI, POLRI juga ikut merapatkan barisan dalam memberikan pertolongan mereka kepada korban di berbagai lokasi bencana.

TB. HASANUDDIN, SE, MM, Wakil Ketua Komisi I DPR-RI dari Fraksi PDI Perjuangan

Lewat wawancara dengan KATAKAMI.COM, Selasa (09/11/2010) di Jakarta, TB Hassanudin Anggota Komisi I dari Fraksi PDI Perjuangan secara tegas mengkritik kecenderungan Amerika untuk terus menerus meributkan masalah-masalah pelanggaran HAM yang dikaitkan dengan TNI.

“Kita harus sampaikan pada Obama bahwa Indonesia bukan bagian dari Amerika. Ingat itu ! Dan Amerika juga bukan bagian dari Indonesia. Amerika perlu belajarlah untuk bergaul secara lebih baik dengan banyak negara di dunia ini” kata TB Hassanudin.

Lebih jauh, TB Hassanudin mengatakan bahwa Obama dan Amerika secara keseluruhan perlu mengingat satu hal yang sangat penting bahwa Indonesia tidak pernah latah atau lancang merecoki “keberadaan” Amerika di Afghanistan dan Irak.

“Kita tidak pernah mempermasalahkan keberadaan Amerika di Afghanistan dan Irak kan. Jadi kenapa Amerika ribut sendiri soal Indonesia ? Bahwa Indonesia memang memiliki sesuatu yang harus diperbaiki, ya oke … kami akan memperbaiki dan pasti mampu mengatasinya. Kenapa sibuk sekali bicara miring soal militer Indonesia ?” lanjut TB Hassanudin.

TB Hassanudin yang juga merupakan mantan Sekretaris Militer di era kepemimpinan Presiden Megawati Soekarnoputri ini memberikan penghargaan kepada TNI / POLRI yang terus bahu-membahu membantu rakyat yang sedang tertimpa kesusahan di berbagai lokasi bencana.

“Saya bicara tentang TNI ya. Sejak TNI dilahirkan, memang dikondisikan untuk selalu berada di tengah-tengah rakyat. Bahwa ada pasang surut dalam perjalanan TNI … misalnya dikaitkan dengan pelanggaran HAM atau masuk dalam dunia perpolitikan, itu sisi lain. Tetapi dalam menangani bencana apapun, TNI adalah yang paling solid. Sebab man power yang ada dalam TNI itu stand by 24 jam dalam sehari” ungkap TB Hassanudin.

TB Hassanudin menambahkan bahwa pemerintah memang bisa memanfaatkan kemampuan atau skill yang dimiliki TNI dalam menangani bencana.

“Bila terjadi bencana nasional di negara manapun yang ada didunia ini maka orang pertama yang dikirimkan untuk memberikan bantuan adalah militer. Khusus untuk TNI, mereka bisa ditugaskan untuk ikut menangani dampak bencana. Tetapi sebaiknya penanggung-jawab diserahkan kepada badan lain. Sebab tugas pokoknya berbeda. TNI ditugaskan untuk bertempur” kata TB Hassanudin.

Jenderal TNI (Purnawirawan) Ryamizard Ryacudu, Mantan KSAD

Dukungan terhadap TNI juga datang dari Jenderal TNI (Purnawirawan) Ryamizard Ryacudu selaku mantan Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Darat.

“Yang paling suka menjelek-jelekkan kita dari pihak Amerika ini kan hanya segelintir saja. Ribut saja soal HAM. Dan kalau saya ditanya soal Obama, dia ini kan anak muda. Saya cuma bicara singkat sajalah. Pemerintah Amerika tidak usah mengkritik TNI. Sebab setahu saya, Obama itu sama Jenderal bintang empat di negaranya saja tidak cocok. Siapa itu namanya ? Jenderal Stanley McChrystal kan. Dia ini komandan tertinggi dalam perang di Afghanistan. Militer Amerika ini, khusus Jenderal-Jenderal mereka adalah para perwira tinggi yang bagus-bagus dan  profesional. Jadi kalau ada perwira tinggi bintang 4 mengecam kepala negaranya maka artinya ada yang salah dari si kepala negara itu. Sebab Komandan Tertinggi adalah orang yang paling mengetahui situasi di lapangan. Jadi tidak perlu mengkritik militer negara lain. Introspeksi diri sendiri dululah” kata Jenderal Ryamizard Ryacudu kepada KATAKAMI.COM dalam sebuah kesempatan.

Ryamizard Ryacudu percaya bahwa TNI akan selalu ada bersama rakyat Indonesia dalam keadaan apapun juga.

Yorrys Raweyai, Anggota Komisi I DPR-RI dari Fraksi Partai Golkar

Sementara itu, Yorrys Raweyai Anggota Komisi I dari Fraksi Partai Golkar juga menyampaikan apresiasi yang tinggi atas kerja keras TNI ( dan POLRI ) dalam menangani berbagai bencana di Indonesia.

“Begini ya, dari semua bencana apapun yang terjadi di Indonesia, sudah pasti yang tercepat untuk memberikan pertolongan di lokasi bencana itu adalah TNI  dan POLRI. Khususnya TNI ya. Dan dimana-mana selalu begitu. Di negara manapun, militer pasti pihak pertama yang dikerahkan untuk memberikan pertolongan pertama dalam bencana dalam skala apapun” kata Yorrys Raweyai.

Menurutnya, TNI memang yang paling siap dan sigap dalam menangani bencana.

“Coba kita lihat, badan atau instansi mana di Indonesia ini yang memiliki kemampuan yang paling lengkap untuk menangani bencana ? Cuma TNI yang bisa melakukan itu. Tentu Polri juga berperan dalam menangani bencana. jadi kita harus menghargai mereka. Itu sebabnya, kami di Komisi I sedang mengusahakan agar didalam Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), unsur TNI dimasukkan didalamnya” ungkap Yorrys Raweyai.

Anggota TNI (KOPASSUS) dan POLRI melakukan proses evakuasi terhadap korban tewas di Desa Argomulyo, DI Yogyakarta ( 5 November 2010). Photo : AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

Jadi, seperti kata pepatah, “Anjing menggonggong, khalilah berlalu”.

Biarkan pihak lain berbicara buruk tentang Indonesia ( khususnya TNI ). Sebab yang paling mengetahui sisi baik dan buruk dari negara kita adalah kita sendiri.

Jika memang ada sesuatu yang salah maka kesalahan itu harus diperbaiki sesuai aturan dan ketentuan Undang Undang yang berlalu.

Saat ini Indonesia sedang berduka.

Langit di atas Indonesia memang sangat amat mendung dan seakan gelap gulita.

Di Wasior (Papua), di Mentawai (Sumatera Barat) dan khususnya di Gunung Merapi ( DI Yogyakarta), terjadi bencana alam yang sangat beruntun.

Korban tewas begitu banyak di 3 lokasi bencana alam ini.

Bersama tim relawan, TNI / POLRI masih sangat dibutuhkan untuk memberikan pertolongan yang maksimal di lokasi-lokasi bencana.

Duka Indonesia adalah duka yang sangat dirasakan juga oleh TNI / POLRI.

Sehingga merekalah yang sangat dibutuhkan dan paling bisa diandalkan untuk memberikan pertolongan seluas-luasnya kepada para korban ( terutama dalam masa tanggap darurat seperti saat ini ).

 

Terimakasih TNI / POLRI.

Berbuatlah lebih tulus dan lebih banyak lagi dalam perjalanan pengabdian kalian bagi bangsa, negara dan rakyat Indonesia.

Sebab pengabdian tidak mengenal batas ruang dan waktu.

Kami, rakyat Indonesia, mencintai kalian dengan cinta yang begitu kuat berselimutkan rasa nasionalisme yang sangat amat tinggi.

Dan menutup tulisan ini, ingin rasanya sekali lagi menyampaikan pujian untuk TNI dan POLRI.

Ode adalah syair (kehidupan) yang berisi pujian secara tulus.

Ode untuk TNI / POLRI adalah untaian pujian yang sangat tulus atas kerja keras dan pengorbanan TNI / POLRI di lokasi-lokasi bencana yang terjadi di wilayah Indonesia.

Ketika lagu berjudul Ibu Pertiwi dikumandangkan di saat Indonesia berduka, bersama TNI / POLRI duka demi duka, bencana demi bencana, terlalui dengan penuh rasa kebersamaan yang sangat kuat antar anak bangsa Indonesia.

Sekali lagi, terimakasih TNI / POLRI.

Janganlah berhenti mengabdikan diri dan terus melakukan yang terbaik bagi kebaikan bangsa, negara dan rakyat Indonesia.

YOUTUBE : IBU PERTIWI ( SLANK)

Kulihat ibu pertiwi
Sedang bersusah hati
Air matamu berlinang
Mas intanmu terkenang

Hutan gunung sawah lautan
Simpanan kekayaan
Kini ibu sedang susah
Merintih dan berdoa

Kulihat ibu pertiwi
Kami datang berbakti
Lihatlah putra-putrimu
Menggembirakan ibu

Ibu kami tetap cinta
Putramu yang setia
Mmenjaga harta pusaka
Untuk nusa dan bangsa

(*)

Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano causes more flight chaos

Indonesia's Mount Merapi spews massive hot clouds of volcanic ash and rocks as seen from Sleman district in central Java on November 6. Airlines cancelled dozens of flights to and from Jakarta, affecting international carriers from Europe to Asia, because of the volcanic ash. (AFP/SONNY TUMBELAKA)

Flights to Jakarta Canceled Over Volcano

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November 08, 2010. JAKARTA (KATAKAMI / Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama’s twice-postponed visit to Indonesia looked on track on Monday after flights to the capital returned to normal following a weekend of disruptions caused by a deadly volcano.

Mount Merapi in central Java began spewing lava, superheated gas and deadly clouds of ash two weeks ago, and has so far killed over 130 people and forced the evacuation of nearly 300,000.

Dozens of flights to and from the capital Jakarta, around 600 km (375 miles) from the volcano, were cancelled over the weekend after the volcano belched fresh clouds of volcanic ash 6,000 metres (19,000 ft) into the atmosphere.

Indonesian authorities saying conditions were safe, but international airlines scrapped scores of flights.

By Monday afternoon normal service had mostly resumed, though Filipino budget airline Cebu Air Inc said it had cancelled its 9.30 p.m. (1330 GMT) flight to Jakarta.

“All have returned to normal,” said Andang Santoso, a spokesman for the operator of Jakarta’s Sukarno-Hatta airport. “They trust us that there is no impact of Merapi here, so they can fly here.”

Authorities did, however, order the closure of the airport at Yogyakarta, the historic cultural city closest to the volcano.

“Since the weather is impossible … we decided to close Yogyakarta for both commercial and civil aircrafts,” said Harjoso Tjandra, operational and technical director at the airport.

On Sunday, U.S. officials said they were closely monitoring the situation ahead of Obama’s scheduled Tuesday arrival.

Obama has twice postponed visits to Indonesia — where he lived for several years as a child with his mother — the first time in March as he struggled to push through a healthcare reform bill in the U.S. and the second in June after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A British Airways flight came close to crashing nearly three decades ago after its engines sucked in ash from another Indonesian volcano, Mount Galunggung, about 180 km southeast of Jakarta.

Indonesia’s disaster agency said clouds of hot toxic gases continued to roll down the slopes of Merapi on Monday, hampering efforts to create a 20 km (12 miles) exclusion zone around the summit.

The country is also struggling with the aftermath of a tsunami in the remote Mentawai islands off Sumatra last week that killed at least 445 people.

Metro TV footage showed an aerial view of Borobudur, site of one of the world’s largest Buddhist temples and a UNESCO heritage site about 50 km northwest of the volcano coated with ash. (*)

Photostream : Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano still spews volcanic ash on Monday, death toll reaches165

A villager watches from Jambon village in the Sleman district of Indonesia's central Java province, as Mount Merapi spews smoke and ash, November 8, 2010. The death toll from the eruption of Mount Merapi, reaching 165 people. A total of 148 victims came from Yogyakarta, and 17 people from Central Java. The data was presented the Special Staff of the Presidential Disaster Area, Andi Arif, Monday (8 / 11), Metro TV reported on Monday. Data obtained from Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta. To reach the 453 people injured. The average victims died of burns suffered from hot clouds. It happened the first time since the Merapi eruption on October 26, 2010 ( Photo by REUTERS/Sigit Pamungkas )

Mount Merapi spews volcanic ash into the air as seen from Cangkringan, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. The death toll from the eruption of Mount Merapi, reaching 165 people. A total of 148 victims came from Yogyakarta, and 17 people from Central Java. The data was presented the Special Staff of the Presidential Disaster Area, Andi Arif, Monday (8 / 11), Metro TV reported on Monday. Data obtained from Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta. To reach the 453 people injured. The average victims died of burns suffered from hot clouds. It happened the first time since the Merapi eruption on October 26, 2010 ( Photo by AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano spews smoke and ash, as seen from Jambon village in the Sleman district of Indonesia's central Java province November 8, 2010. Mount Merapi, on the outskirts of Yogyakarta, began spewing lava, superheated gas and deadly clouds of ash two week ago and has so far killed over 130 people and forced the evacuation of nearly 300,000. REUTERS/Sigit Pamungkas

Mount Merapi spews ash to the sky as seen from Cangkringan in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces wearing masks prepare to evacuate the victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Ashes from the eruption of Mount Merapi cover Muntilan city, central Java, on November 8, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano killed 85 people in its latest eruption, with scores more suffering severe burns, an official said on November 6, bringing the overall toll to 128. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Photostream : Indonesian Elite Forces (Kopassus) and rescue team evacuated the victims of Mount Merapi eruption

Indonesian army special forces wears masks as they prepare to evacuate the victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces wear masks as they search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870 (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces and rescue team evacuate a victim of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces and rescue team evacuate a victim of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870 (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870 (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Flights to Jakarta Canceled Over Volcano

 

Indonesia's Mount Merapi spews massive hot clouds of volcanic ash and rocks as seen from Sleman district in central Java on November 6. Airlines cancelled dozens of flights to and from Jakarta, affecting international carriers from Europe to Asia, because of the volcanic ash. (AFP/SONNY TUMBELAKA)

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November 07, 2010. Jakarta (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA GLOBE) — Thousands of international air travelers are in limbo after airlines on Saturday canceled scores of weekend flights into and out of Jakarta over fears that ash clouds from Mount Merapi posed a danger, but then began reinstating or rescheduling many of the flights on Sunday.

The notoriously volatile Mount Merapi unleashed nearly 50 million cubic meters of gas, rocks and ash on Friday, its most powerful eruption in a century. Up to 138 people have now died on Merapi’s slopes in the past ten days of eruptions and gas cloud ash emissions, and authorities were still struggling on Sunday to deal with those injured in the latest blast.

Airlines canceled 50 Sunday flights in addition to 36 on Saturday over concerns about volcanic ash being spewed into the sky 430  kilometers to the east.

Signs of the eruption of the Mount Merapi volcano (C) puncturing the cloud cover over Java are pictured in this NASA Terra satellite image taken November 5, 2010 and obtained November 6, 2010.

The airlines halting flights to the capital include Singapore Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Japan Airlines.

However, some carriers resumed some flights on Sunday. Singapore Airlines reinstated two morning flights, and has added a supplementary flight from Singapore to Jakarta and back tonight. Malaysia Airlines said three flights from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta and three from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur would be operated as normal, but two flights in each direction remain canceled.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport operator Angkasa Pura II issued an official list of flights affected as of 12.15pm on Sunday:

Cancelled flights:
Emirates Airlines: 4 flights; EK-356/357 (15.45/17.45) EK-358/359 (21.45/00.15)
Philippine Airlines: 2 flights; PR-503/504 (12.30/13.20)
ValuAir: 2 flights; VF-507/508 (11.35/12.15)
Cathay Pacific: 2 flights; X-777/776 (13.05/14.50)
JetStar: 2 flights; JQ-115 (20.05/20.35)
Japan Airlines: 2 flights; JL-725/726 (17.20/22.05)

Flights previously canceled but reinstated:
Singapore Airlines: 2 flights; SQ-952/953 (14.45/15.40)
Singapore Airlines: 2 supplementary flights added; SQ-954/955 (20.45/21.40)
KLM: 2 flights; KL-809/810 (18.10/19.25)
Lufthansa: 2 flights; LH-778/779 (18.50/20.05)
Brunei Airlines: 2 flights; BI-737/738 (13.25/14.50)

Domestic flights to/from Yogyakarta cancelled:
Garuda Indonesia: 15 flights (8 departure / 7 arrival)
Lion Airlines: 4 flights (3 departure / 1  arrival)
Batavia: 2 flights (1 departure / 1 arrival)

Lightning strikes as Mount Merapi volcano erupts spewing out towering clouds of hot gas and debris, as seen from Ketep village in Magelang, Indonesia's Central Java province November 6, 2010. REUTERS/Beawiharta

Airlines are advising passengers to check their online schedules and announcements as the situation is changing hourly due to weather conditions.

Australian airline Qantas said it had made a careful assessment of weather conditions and will go ahead with today’s flight from Sydney to Jakarta.

A spokesman for Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport, which handles around 900 flights per day, confirmed that the airport remained fully open, and flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air are still running all international flights out of there.

“There has been no notice to airman so far from the aviation authorities which says the airport is affected by the volcanic ash. Therefore Garuda continues its activities,” Garuda Indonesia spokesman Pujobroto told news portal kompas.com.

Domestic flights from Jakarta are mostly unaffected so far, but flights to cities closer to Merapi on the main island of Java – including Yogyakarta, Solo and Bandung – have been affected, with the closure of smaller airports near the volcano delaying the arrival of burn cream and ventilators for those whose skin and lungs have been singed by searing gases.

US President Barack Obama is scheduled to touch down in Jakarta on Tuesday as part of a 10-day Asian tour. Since taking office, Obama has already twice postponed visits to Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim nation, where he spent four years as a child.

Paul Belmont, a US Embassy spokesman, said there has been no talk yet of canceling. “But certainly, if the situation evolves into something like what we saw in Europe not long ago (when the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul forced closed airports for a week) it’s something we’d have to take seriously,” Belmont said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Three Malaysian air force planes arrived in Indonesia to pick up hundreds of citizens stranded by the eruption of Mount Merapi. The Royal Malaysian Air Force says the C-130 transport planes left early on Sunday.

They will pick up 664 Malaysians, many of them university students who had been in the city of Yogyakarta, 30 kilometers south of the volcano. The city is on its highest alert for the danger of ash and lava flows from Merapi.

JG, AP, AFP

Indonesia : Mount Merapi refugees to be concentrated

Refugees look for second-hand clothes distributed at a temporary shelter for those affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, November 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

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November 06, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) — Yogyakarta government considers relocating people displaced by Mt. Merapi eruptions to stadiums and big buildings that can accommodate thousands of people in order to facilitate supply of food.

Governor Hamengku Buwono X said Saturday he would coordinate with the Sleman regency and Yogyakarta municipality administrations to relocate the refugees to Maguwoharjo Stadium in Sleman, and Mandala Krida Stadium and the Youth Center in Yogyakarta.

Refugee camps are scattered across Sleman, many of them accommodated at Maguwoharjo Stadium.

Refugee rest in a safe place as searing ash clouds shoot from the crater of Mount Merapi in Klaten district, Central Java, on November 6, 2010 (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)

The governor, who is also the Yogyakarta sultan, also offered the displaced people to camp at Pagelaran Sitihinggil square in his palace compound. “The place is open to the refugees if they feel secure and comfortable there,” he said as quoted by kompas.com..

More than 202,000 people from four regencies around Mt. Merapi have sought refuge after a series of eruptions, 56,000 of them in Sleman. (*)

Photostream : Hospital overwhelmed by Indonesia volcano victims

An injured, suffered from Mount Merapi eruption, receives treatment from an Indonesian medic at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia , Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. The hospital at the foot of Indonesia's most volatile volcano is struggling to cope with victims brought in after the mountain's most powerful eruption in a century. Some have clothes, blankets and even mattresses fused to their skin. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

An injured, suffered due to Mount Merapi eruption, lies on a bed at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia , Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. The hospital at the foot of Indonesia's most volatile volcano is struggling to cope with victims brought in after the mountain's most powerful eruption in a century. Some have clothes, blankets and even mattresses fused to their skin. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

An injured, suffered due to Mount Merapi eruption, receives treatment from an Indonesian medic at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia , Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. The hospital at the foot of Indonesia's most volatile volcano is struggling to cope with victims brought in after the mountain's most powerful eruption in a century. Some have clothes, blankets and even mattresses fused to their skin. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A medic, right, measures blood pressure of an Indonesian refugee at a temporary shelter for those affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

An Indonesian refugee, left, is attended to by a medic at a temporary shelter for those affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Volunteers assist an evacuee from Mount Merapi eruption having breathing difficulty due to volcanic ash exposure on arrival at a sport stadium used as an evacuation center in Sleman district on November 5, 2010. At least 54 people were killed and dozens injured Friday when Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted again, burning villages as far as 18 kilometres (11 miles) away, officials said. The latest deaths bring the total toll to more than 90 since the country's most active volcano started erupting on October 26. (Photo by SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava and ash spews from erupting Mount Merapi seen from Klaten district in Central Java province before dawn, on November 6. Indonesia's most active volcano, Mount Merapi, killed 77 people with its latest eruption and forced thousands to flee after it erupted again. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)

Mount Merapi volcano erupts spewing out towering clouds of hot gas and debris as seen from Ketep village in Magelang, Indonesia's Central Java province, November 6, 2010. Merapi erupted with renewed ferocity on Friday, killing 65 people, bringing the total death told to over 100 and blanketing the area with white ash. REUTERS/Beawiharta

Indonesian army member distributes food for refugees at a temporary shelter for those who are affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia,Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesian Military (TNI) to build more field hospitals, kitchens to serve evacuees from Mt. Merapi eruptions

Indonesian soldiers (Kopassus) search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at a village that was hit by pyroclastic flow in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Friday, torching houses in one mountainside village and triggering a chaotic midnight evacuation. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Trisnadi)

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November 06, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) — The Indonesian Military (TNI) will set up more field hospitals and public kitchens in several places to serve evacuees from Mt. Merapi eruptions, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said Friday.

BNPB director Wisnu Wijaya told Antara news agency the TNI would deploy a brigade of personnel to support the disaster mitigation efforts, in line with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s order.

The brigade consists of medical, engineering, marine and transport battalions.

Wisnu said the military brigade would set up field hospitals, activate all hospitals in the region and open public kitchens.

The military would also mobilize transport means to help evacuation of people.

The Air Force meanwhile has also prepared six Hercules C-130 and three C-212 Cassa planes at its Abdurahman Saleh airbase in Malang, East Java, in case a mass evacuation of refugees takes place.

The airbase’s commander, Air Commodore Agus Dwi Putranto, told reporters the armada of planes had just arrived from a mission to flood-stricken Wasior in West Papua.

President Yudhoyono back to Yogyakarta to closely monitor Merapi

Soldiers carry a body from Argomulyo village in Indonesia's Sleman district of Central Java province November 5, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted with renewed ferocity on Friday, killing another 54 people and blanketing the surrounding area with ash. Ten days of eruptions have now killed nearly 100 people and forced the evacuation of more than 75,000. REUTERS/Stringer

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November 05, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) — President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announces he will closely monitor the situation of Mount Merapi from Yogyakarta as the volcano’s three major eruptions early on Friday have brought the death toll to some 100.

Yudhoyono said after a coordination meeting with some Cabinet ministers, the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief and the National Police chief at the Presidential Office in Jakarta he would come back to Yogyakarta on Friday evening and may stay in the presidential palace there to lead the disaster mitigation efforts. The president visited Yogyakarta and neighboring Magelang only on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with people seeking refuge from the disaster.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said the president might move to the Military Academy in Magelang if Yogyakarta was uninhabitable, and that the length of his stay would depend on the development of the situation.

Yudhoyono also announced several instructions in a press conference after the meeting, including that all emergency activities would be under the sole command of National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Maarif, whose status has been lifted to a ministerial level.

“Although the Yogyakarta and Central Java administrations still function, seeing the scale of the disaster it is better than BNPB head takes the command with assistance from Yogyakarta and Central Java governors, Diponegoro Military Command chief, and Central Java and Yogyakarta police chiefs,” Yudhoyono said.

He added that he had instructed Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono to organize humanitarian relief for Merapi refugees, and the TNI to dispatch a brigade to help build temporary hospitals and emergency kitchens, as well as evacuate people.

The president also announced the government would allocate budget to buy cattle belonging to the locals at agreeable prices, saying it was expected to lure them not to return to their homes to take care of the animals after evacuation order was issued. He assigned Agung and the Yogyakarta and Central Java governors to deal with the matter.

Concluding the press conference, Yudhoyono asked journalists and the nation to pray for the safety of people around the volcano and an end of the calamity. (*)

Death toll from Indonesian volcano nears 100

A rescuer searches for victims of Mount Merapi eruption in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 5, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

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November 05, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) — The death toll from Indonesia’s volcano has climbed to nearly 100 in more than a week after a blistering gas cloud ripped through a mountainside village.

Hospital spokesman Heru Nugroho said 54 bodies were brought in after the inferno. More than 66 others were injured, many of them critically with burns.

Men with ash-covered faces streamed down Mount Merapi on motorcycles followed by truckloads of women and crying children, following the massive eruption just before midnight Friday.

Soldiers helped clear the bodies from the hard-hit village of Bronggang, located 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the crater, and up until Friday considered within the “safe zone.”

The toll since Oct. 26 – including 44 killed before Friday’s massive gas burst – stood at 98.

Photostream : Death toll from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano nears 100

The bodies of victims of Mount Merapi eruption are placed at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Rescuers carry the body of a victim of Mount Merapi eruption in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

Rescuers carry the body of a victim of Mount Merapi eruption in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Indonesian rescuers carry the body of a victim of Mount Merapi, at hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

The body of a victim of Mount Merapi eruption lies on a ground covered with volcanic ash in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Friday, torching houses in one mountainside village and triggering a chaotic midnight evacuation. (Getty Images /AP Photo/Trisnadi)

The body of a victim of Mount Merapi eruption lies on a road covered with volcanic ash as a rescuer walks by in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Trisnadi)

The hand of a victim of Mount Merapi eruption is seen covered in volcanic ash in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Friday, torching houses in one mountainside village and triggering a chaotic midnight evacuation. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

The hand of a Mount Merapi eruption victim is seen at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Dead cow killed in an eruption of Mount Merapi lies covered in volcanic ash as rescuers search for victims in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Friday, torching houses in one mountainside village and triggering a chaotic midnight evacuation. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

Indonesian soldiers (TNI) search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

Villagers take shelter after they fled their homes following another eruption of Mount Merapi in Klaten, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Friday, torching houses in one mountainside village and triggering a chaotic midnight evacuation. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesian soldiers search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at a village that was hit by pyroclastic flow in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Friday, torching houses in one mountainside village and triggering a chaotic midnight evacuation. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Trisnadi)

An ash covered victim of Mount Merapi eruption arrives at a hospital in Yogyakarta on November 5, 2010. At least 49 people were killed and dozens injured Friday when Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted again, burning villages as far as 18 kilometres (11 miles) away, officials said. The latest deaths bring the total toll to more than 90 since the country's most active volcano started erupting on October 26. (Photo by SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Death toll from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi climbs to 79

Rescuers carry the body of a victim of Mount Merapi eruption in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Trisnadi)

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November 05, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST / AP) — A deadly surge of blistering gases cascaded down the slopes of Indonesia’s most volatile volcano, torching houses in one mountainside village and nearly doubling the number of people killed in just over a week to 79.

Thirty-five bodies were brought to a morgue at a nearby hospital, which was struggling to cope with victims. More than 65 people were injured, many of them critically.

Mount Merapi, which means “Fire Mountain,” has erupted many times in the last century, often with deadly results.

Though more than 75,000 people living along its fertile slopes have been evacuated to crowded emergency shelters, many by force, others are reluctant to leave their precious livestock. Some return to their villages during lulls in activity to bring fresh grass.

It was not immediately clear why Bronggang, a village nine miles (15 kilometers) from the crater, had not been evacuated when the searing ash, gases and rock fragments hit just before midnight.

“We’re totally overwhelmed here!” said Heru Nogroho, a spokesman at the Sardjito hospital, as soldiers continued to bring in victims, many with severe burns.

Despite earlier predictions by scientists that dozens of big explosions that followed Merapi’s initial Oct. 26 blast would ease pressure building up behind a magma dome, eruptions appeared to be intensifying.

“I’ve never seen it act like this,” said Surono, a state expert on volcanos, who has observed Merapi for more than 15 years. “We don’t know what to expect.”

Towering clouds of ash shot from the crater with a thunder-like roar on Thursday morning, sending soot 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) into the air and dusting towns up to 150 miles (250 kilometers) away.

Just before midnight, Merapi erupted again, sending pyroclastic flows down the mountain.

Such clouds can reach temperatures of up to 1,400 degree Fahrenheit (750 degree Celsius), while racing down the slopes at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour).

Waluyo Raharjo, a search and rescue official, was on the scene as bodies were pulled from charred homes and loaded into vehicles, bringing them to the hospital morgue.

Activity at the mountain forced an airport in nearby Yogyakarta to close Friday.

Subandrio, a state volcanologist, meanwhile, said Mount Merapi’s “danger zone” was widened to 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the crater’s mouth.

It was the second time in as many days the area was expanded.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 235 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanos because it sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean.

The volcano’s initial blast occurred less than 24 hours after a towering tsunami slammed into the remote Mentawai islands on the western end of the country, sweeping entire villages to sea and killing at least 428 people.

There, too, thousands of people were displaced, many living in government camps.

(MS)

Photostream : Indonesia’s Mount Merapi Erupts Again

Massive molten lava and searing ash clouds shoot from the crater of Mount Merapi captured in this extended time exposure photograph taken from Klaten district in Central Java province before dawn on November 4, 2010. Thousands more people were evacuated from villages around Indonesia's Mount Merapi as the volcano erupts again, shooting ash and heat clouds high into the sky. The 2,914-metre (9,616-foot) Merapi, is a sacred landmark in Javanese culture whose name translates as "Mountain of Fire." (Photo by SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Molten lava flows from the crater of Mount Merapi captured in this extended time exposure photograph taken from Klaten district in Central Java province. An avalanche of heat clouds that can kill anything in their path streamed nine kilometres down the slopes of the volcano (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)

A view from a domestic flight from Denpasar to Yogyakarta that was subsequently diverted to Surabaya airport shows gas and ash billowing some 10 km (six miles) high from Mount Merapi on November 4. Indonesia ordered thousands more people to evacuate as the country's most active volcano erupted again, shooting gas and ash into the sky and triggering a new aircraft exclusion zone. (AFP/Clara Prima)

Mount Merapi volcano erupts for the fifth time as seen from Wukirsari village in Sleman, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta November 4, 2010. Mount Merapi has killed at least 39 people since it began erupting on October 26. Over 74 have been injured and more than 70,000 people have been evacuated, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Board. REUTERS/Beawiharta

A man wearing a mask sits at a temporary shelter at Bawukan village in Klaten of central Java province November 4, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi blasted ash and gas into the sky on Thursday, killing six more people in the latest in a series of eruptions over the past nine days that claimed 44 lives and forced more than 75,000 to flee their homes. REUTERS/Andry Prasetyo

A man rides his motorcycle during ash rain in the city of Magelang as Mount Merapi volcano erupts November 4, 2010. Mount Merapi has killed at least 39 people since it began erupting on October 26. Over 74 have been injured and more than 70,000 people have been evacuated, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Board on Wednesday (REUTERS/Beawiharta)

Villagers ride on a truck as they leave their homes on a street covered by volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi in Muntilan, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. Indonesia's deadly volcano sent a burst of searing gas high into the air Thursday, hours after its most explosive eruption in a deadly week triggered an exodus from villages and emergency shelters along its rumbling slopes. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

A family rides a motorcycle as they move to a temporary shelter which is further away from Mount Merapi volcano at Harjobinangun village in Sleman, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, in the early morning of November 4, 2010. Mount Merapi has killed at least 39 people since it began erupting on October 26. Over 74 have been injured and more than 70,000 people have been evacuated, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Board on Wednesday. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Dwi Oblo )

Photostream : Qantas jumbo makes emergency landing in Singapore, after one of its four engines failed over western Indonesia

Indonesian police officers inspect parts of a Qantas jetliner that were found in the area, at the local police headquarters in Batam, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. The jetliner made an emergency landing Thursday in Singapore with 459 people aboard, after one of its four engines shut down over western Indonesia and following witness reports of a blast that sent debris hurtling to the ground. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Tundra Laksamana)

Indonesian police officers inspect parts of a Qantas jetliner that were found in the area, at the local police headquarters in Batam, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. The jetliner made an emergency landing Thursday in Singapore with 459 people aboard, after one of its four engines shut down over western Indonesia and following witness reports of a blast that sent debris hurtling to the ground. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Tundra Laksamana)

Indonesian police examine fallen debris from a Qantas jet collected from several areas on Batam island, an Indonesian territory near Singapore November 4, 2010. None of the passengers or crew aboard a Qantas jet was injured when the plane was forced to shut down one engine and make an emergency landing in Singapore, Australia's foreign ministry said on Thursday. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Stringer )

Indonesian police officers carry a part of a Qantas jetliner that was found in the area, at the local police headquarters in Batam, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. A Qantas jetliner made an emergency landing Thursday in Singapore with 459 people aboard, after one of its four engines shut down over western Indonesia and following witness reports of a blast that sent debris hurtling to the ground. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Tundra Laksamana)

In this image taken from TV, people look at debris found in Batam, Indonesia Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. A Qantas jetliner made an emergency landing Thursday in Singapore with 459 people aboard, after one of its four engines shut down over western Indonesia and following witness reports of a blast that sent debris hurtling to the ground. The airliner denied there had been any explosion, and said the plane landed safely with no injuries. (Getty Images / AP Photo/RTCI via APTN)

Airport policemen ask the media to leave the restricted area while passengers unboard a troubled Qantas Airbus A380 plane after an emergency landing at the Changi International airport in Singapore on November 4, 2010. The Qantas A380 made a dramatic emergency landing in Singapore, trailing smoke from a damaged engine, in the first mid-air emergency involving the Airbus superjumbo. The double-decker plane, which had taken off from Singapore bound for Sydney carrying 433 passengers and 26 crew, dumped fuel over Indonesia before returning to the city-state's Changi Airport. (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

A troubled Qantas Airbus A380 plane seen after an emergency landing at the Changi International airport in Singapore on November 4, 2010. The troubled Qantas Airbus A380 plane made an emergency landing in Singapore with smoke coming out of its underside and was quickly surrounded by six fire engines (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)