Indonesia’s Mount Kelud could erupt any time but some people living in the East Java volcano’s danger zone refused to evacuate.

Tuesday had been set as the deadline for villagers within a 6-mile radius of the volcano’s crater to leave but the Jakarta Post reported many refused to heed the warning.

The report said Mount Kelud's alert status has been raised to the highest level since last week because of continuing tremors and rising temperatures in the crater lake.

Tens of thousands of people have moved to safer places. Hundreds of armed personnel have been posted in the area to provide assistance and to maintain security.

The 5,680-foot high Mount Kelud is about 60 miles southwest of Surabaya city.

The Post said a 1990 eruption of Mount Kelud killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds. In 1919, an eruption from the volcano killed about 5,000 people. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International


Publication date: 23 October 2007   

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