Airport closes as Indonesia's Mount Bromo increases eruptions

[News_Editor]

Airport closes as Indonesia's Mount Bromo increases eruptions

2010-11-30 00:52:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEW) — With Indonesia's Mount Bromo having increased eruptions, spewing out ash clouds, Malang's domestic airport, located in East Java province, was forced to close on Monday, officials said.

The Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center said Bromo's eruptions on Sunday were the biggest since it began erupting on Friday. Thick smoke coming from the volcano's crater reached a height of up to 700 meters (2,300 feet).

Experts said high rainfall helped slow down the spread of the volcanic ash, but Ngadas Village chief in Malang regency Kartono said volcanic dust had reached the forest area of Jarak Ijo Village on Sunday.

The village is located about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) from the peak of Bromo.

Transport Ministry spokesperson Bambang Ervan said Malang's Abdul Rachman Saleh airport, which is located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) west of Bromo, will be closed until Saturday.

"The ash contains chemical substances which could cause engine trouble" to passing planes, Ervan said.

Mount Bromo is one of Indonesia's 129 active volcanoes with its last eruption occurring in 2004. It usually erupts once a year, but it rarely spews out debris or hot ash.

It is located around 120 kilometers (70 miles) south of Surabaya, East Java's biggest city, and about 275 kilometers (170 miles) east of Mount Merapi, which has killed at least 322 people during its most recent eruption.

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