Indonesia lowers Mount Bromo's alert level

[News_Editor]

Indonesia lowers Mount Bromo's alert level

2010-12-07 05:46:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

MALANG, INDONESIA (BNO NEW) — Indonesia on Monday lowered its alert level for Mount Bromo, which is located in the East Java province, after its volcanic activity has bee decreasing, officials said.

"After the last five days of observation, we have observed a significant decline in volcanic activity at Mount Bromo," Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) monitoring chief Agus Budianto told Antara news agency. "Thus, we lowered its status from 'danger' to 'alert,'" he added.

On Monday, officials said the 2,330-meter-high (7,644 feet) Bromo spewed out hot ash clouds reaching 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), maintaining the official danger zone at 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the crater. However, its reduced activity has allowed authorities to downgrade the warning status to the second-highest level.

The PVMBG first elevated Bromo's alert level to "danger" in November after volcanic activity had suddenly increased.

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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