JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesians on the annual Haj pilgrimage have had their journeys disrupted by the eruption of Mount Merapi, a spokesman for the national airline said Wednesday. Garuda Indonesia flights from Solo, near the volcano, to Saudi Arabia were relocated to depart from Surabaya, several hours' drive away. “Mount Merapi has disturbed the flight paths for Solo and nearby area, so several Haj flights from Solo are not possible in the coming days,” Garuda spokesman Pujobroto said in a statement. Garuda said that about 1,500 people designated to leave from Solo departed from Surabaya Wednesday, but close to 8,000 still had to embark. Meanwhile, the deadly Mount Merapi erupted with its biggest volcanic explosion yet, forcing hasty evacuations of more villagers and the panicked refugees who already fled the initial blast a week ago. A strong earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early Wednesday evening, but no damage or injuries were immediately reported and no tsunami warning was issued. Indonesia rests on a series of fault lines and is one of the most seismically active places in the world. The US Geological Survey said Wednesday's quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1. It hit off Papua province some 18 miles (29 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor and is more than 2,000 kilometers east of Mount Merapi. The volcanic eruption lasted more than an hour and shot searing ashes miles into the sky. Panicked people in Umbulhardjo refugee camp screamed and children cried when they saw the volcanic materials hurled into the sky and down the mountain's slopes. “This is an extraordinary eruption, triple from the first eruption” on Oct. 26, government volcanologist Surono said. The government widened the danger zone to 15 kilometers from 10 kilometers as the massive blast endangered places that had not been not evacuated earlier as well as refugee camps within that distance. Soldiers were moving people in trucks from the camp which is 10 kilometers from the crater to Wukirsari, about 15 kilometers from the peak. “I (didn't) think of anything else except to save my wife and son. We left my house and everything,” said Tentrem Wahono, 50, who lives in Kaliurang village, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the crater. He and his family fled on a motorbike, “racing with the explosive sounds, like the searing ash chased us from behind.” The last eruption has raised Merapi's status to “crisis” condition, said Andi Arief, a special staff at the presidential office dealing with disaster and social assistance. No new casualties were immediately reported from Wednesday's activity. Most of the 38 deaths attributed to the volcano occurred the first day. The volcano and tsunami that hit remote islands in western Indonesia last week have claimed nearly 470 lives and sent tens of thousands crowding into emergency shelters. Relief operations are expected to take weeks, possibly months.
