Volcano forces thousands to flee in Indonesia

Kelud's ash covers parts of Java

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(Reuters) - More than 76,000 people fled their homes and flights were grounded across most
of Indonesia's densely populated island of Java on Friday after a volcanic eruption sent a
huge plume of ash and sand 17 km (10 miles) into the air.

The ash cloud from Thursday night's eruption of Mount Kelud in the province of East Java
moved west over the island, forcing the closure of seven airports and stranding thousands of
passengers. The only major airports still operating on Java were two in the capital, Jakarta.

"Based on verified data, over 76,000 people have been evacuated from five cities around the
volcano ... and about 200,000 people were affected," National Disaster Mitigation Agency
spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said in a text message.

Mount Kelud is 90 km (54 miles) south of Indonesia's second biggest city Surabaya, a major
industrial center. Its airport was closed, along with those of Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo,
Malang, Semarang and the major oil refinery town of Cilacap.

They were expected to reopen on Saturday morning, a transport ministry official told
reporters.

Mount Kelud is one of 130 active volcanoes in the world's fourth most populous country,
which sits along the "Ring of Fire" volcanic belt around the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Nugroho said the eruptions had ceased, but the ash had spread as far as 500 km (312 miles) to
the west and northwest.

Television broadcast images of planes, streets and houses blanketed in a thick layer of grey
ash.

At the world's largest Buddhist temple outside Yogyakarta, nearly 135 km (84 miles) away,
workers rushed to cover statues with plastic sheets to protect them from the falling ash.
Other airports, including Denpasar on the resort island of Bali, were so far unaffected,
according to flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

OIL REFINERY UNAFFECTED

Operations were unaffected at a major oil refinery in Cilacap run by state-owned energy
company Pertamina, officials said. The refinery, with a capacity of 348,000 barrels per day,
accounts for a little more than a third of Indonesia's total output of refined products.

"Thankfully, Cilacap operations are normal, although ash has indeed reached the Cilacap
area," said Pertamina spokesman Ali Mundakir. "As a preventive measure, we have
immediately prepared air filters for equipment there."

East Java is the main area in Indonesia for sugarcane plantations, but officials expected
limited damage to crops.

"The eruption will affect sugarcane plantations, but the impact is small," Soemitro
Samadikoen, chairman of Indonesian Sugarcane Farmers Association told Reuters. "With this
very small impact and high stock (in the domestic market) we do not need to import white
sugar from other countries."

Nugroho said the disaster mitigation agency had confirmed two people were killed after roofs
collapsed under the weight of the fallen ash.

The eruption otherwise caused minimal damage to buildings, Nugroho said, but had left 3 to
5 cm (1-1/2 to 2 inches) of ash and sand on roads.

At least 11 people were killed earlier this month in the north of the island of Sumatra when
Mount Sinabung erupted. The volcano has been spewing lava and ash for months, forcing
thousands to flee the area and destroying crops.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wrote in a Twitter message that he planned to visit the
area near the volcano, but gave no further details.

(Additional reporting by Yayat Supriatna, Fathiyah Darul, Wilda Asmarini and Christania
Astri; Writing by Jonathan Thatcher; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
( Reuters ) - Lebih dari 76.000 orang meninggalkan rumah mereka dan penerbangan yang
didasarkan di sebagian besar pulau berpenduduk padat di Indonesia Jawa pada hari Jumat
setelah letusan gunung berapi dikirim segumpal besar abu dan pasir 17 km ( 10 mil) ke
udara .
Awan abu dari letusan Kamis malam Gunung Kelud di Provinsi Jawa Timur bergerak ke
barat seluruh pulau , memaksa penutupan tujuh bandara dan menelantarkan ribuan
penumpang . Satu-satunya bandara utama masih beroperasi di Jawa adalah dua di ibukota ,
Jakarta .
" Berdasarkan data yang sudah diverifikasi , lebih dari 76.000 orang telah dievakuasi dari
lima kota di sekitar gunung berapi ... dan sekitar 200.000 orang terkena dampak , " kata juru
bicara Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana Sutopo Nugroho dalam pesan teks .
Gunung Kelud adalah 90 km ( 54 mil) selatan kota terbesar kedua di Indonesia Surabaya ,
pusat industri utama . Bandara Its ditutup , bersama dengan orang-orang dari Bandung ,
Yogyakarta , Solo, Malang , Semarang dan kota kilang minyak utama Cilacap .
Mereka diperkirakan akan dibuka kembali pada Sabtu pagi , seorang pejabat kementerian
transportasi kepada wartawan .
Gunung Kelud merupakan salah satu dari 130 gunung berapi aktif di negara terpadat keempat
di dunia , yang terletak di sepanjang " Cincin Api " sabuk vulkanik sekitar pantai Samudra
Pasifik .
Nugroho mengatakan letusan telah berhenti , tetapi abu telah menyebar sejauh 500 km ( 312
mil ) di sebelah barat dan barat laut .
Gambar siaran televisi dari pesawat , jalan-jalan dan rumah-rumah diselimuti lapisan tebal
abu abu-abu.
Pada candi Budha terbesar di dunia di luar Yogyakarta , hampir 135 km ( 84 mil) , pekerja
bergegas untuk menutupi patung dengan lembaran plastik untuk melindungi mereka dari abu
jatuh .
Bandara lainnya , termasuk Denpasar di pulau wisata Bali , yang sejauh ini tidak
terpengaruh , menurut Garuda Indonesia .
OIL REFINERY TERPENGARUH
Operasi tidak terpengaruh pada kilang minyak utama di Cilacap dijalankan oleh perusahaan
energi milik negara Pertamina , kata para pejabat . Kilang , dengan kapasitas 348.000 barel
per hari , menyumbang sedikit lebih dari sepertiga dari total produksi Indonesia dari produk
olahan .
" Syukurlah , operasi Cilacap normal , meskipun abu memang mencapai daerah Cilacap , "
kata juru bicara Pertamina Ali Mundakir . " Sebagai tindakan pencegahan , kami telah segera
menyiapkan filter udara untuk peralatan di sana. "
Jawa Timur merupakan wilayah utama di Indonesia untuk perkebunan tebu , namun para
pejabat diharapkan kerusakan terbatas pada tanaman .
" Letusan akan mempengaruhi perkebunan tebu , tetapi dampaknya kecil , " Soemitro
Samadikoen , Ketua Asosiasi Petani Tebu Indonesia kepada Reuters . " Dengan ini dampak
yang sangat kecil dan saham tinggi ( di pasar domestik ) kita tidak perlu mengimpor gula
putih dari negara lain . "
Nugroho mengatakan badan mitigasi bencana telah dikonfirmasi dua orang tewas setelah atap
runtuh di bawah berat abu jatuh .
Letusan dinyatakan menyebabkan kerusakan minimal untuk bangunan , Nugroho mengatakan
, tetapi telah meninggalkan 3 sampai 5 cm ( 1-1/2 sampai 2 inci ) dari abu dan pasir di jalan .
Setidaknya 11 orang tewas awal bulan ini di bagian utara Pulau Sumatera saat Gunung
Sinabung meletus . Gunung berapi ini telah memuntahkan lava dan abu selama berbulan-
bulan , memaksa ribuan orang lari dari tempat tersebut dan menghancurkan tanaman .
Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono menulis dalam pesan Twitter bahwa ia berencana
untuk mengunjungi daerah dekat gunung berapi , namun tidak memberikan rincian lebih
lanjut .
( Tambahan pelaporan oleh Yayat Supriatna , Fathiyah Darul , Wilda Asmarini dan
Christania Astri ; Menulis oleh Jonathan Thatcher , Editing oleh Clarence Fernandez )