The latest eruption of Mount Merapi volcano claims about 70 lives; hundreds more injured
Mt Merapi volcano’s latest salvo of eruptions began on October 26, 2010. On Thursday, it blasted hot ash and poisonous volcanic fumes into the air, killing about 70 more people, reports say.
The blast has burned villages up to 15km (9 miles) from the summit crater.
Indonesian President Bambang declared the eruption a national disaster on Friday. Up to 100,000 people have now abandoned dozens of villages on the slopes of the volcano. The death toll from the continual 10-day eruption has now climbed to at least 115.
Mt Merapi’s Eruption: Satellite Image
Download large image (2 MB, JPEG) — Image acquired November 1, 2010 – Posted on November 5, 2010.
ASTER on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the thermal signature of hot ash and rock and a glowing lava dome on October 30. The thermal data is overlaid on a three-dimensional map of the volcano to show the approximate location of the flow. The three-dimensional data is from a global topographic model created using ASTER stereo observations.
Merapi shows no signs of slowing. After several days of eruptive episodes, the volcano began an eruption on November 3 that was five times more intense than on October 26 and lasted more than 24 hours. It is the most violent eruption at the volcano since the 1870s, said local geologists. (Source: NASA-EO).
Mt Sinabung, Krakatau and Merapi Volcanoes Location Map. Source of the original map: USGS. Map enhanced by Fire-Earth. Click image to enlarge.
Videos and more images are available at: HVO
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