Many villagers living near a tremoring Indonesian volcano have ignored calls to evacuate...

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2006-04-18T082151Z_01_JAK53628_RTRUKOC_0_US-INDONESIA-VOLCANO.xml

Residents near Indonesia volcano urged to evacuate

Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:22am ET 162

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JAKARTA (Reuters) - Many villagers living near a tremoring Indonesian volcano have ignored calls to evacuate and

officials said on Tuesday local governments must be vigilant in prepare for the worst.

Authorities have placed Mount Merapi, which overlooks the ancient city of Yogyakarta, on Orange Code, or the second highest alert level, following fears of an eruption due to an increase in the number of tremors.

"We have tried to make people understand that danger is lurking and up until today we are still trying to persuade them. However, they seem to feel comfortable with it," said Triyani, an official in charge of observing Merapi at the state-run Center for Volcano Research and Technology Development in Yogyakarta.

"We have advised local governments around Merapi to take all the needed action to mitigate possible disaster from volcanic eruption," she said.

Triyani added the complacency stems from residents who have not felt significant jolts, and the fact that the volcano's swelling in places, a sign an eruption may come soon, is not visible yet to the naked eye.

Subandriyo, head of the center's Merapi department, said officials are trying to figure out the directions in which materials will spew and spread if an eruption occurs.

"At the moment, we are at the conclusion that Merapi's activities are increasing and may possibly lead to eruption," Indonesia's national news agency Antara quoted him as saying.

Officials said the military had deployed more than 200 trucks and buses to evacuate villagers living on the slopes of Merapi near Yogyakarta, 460 km (285 miles) west of the capital, Jakarta. Continued...

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