Borobudur Temple Closed due to Volcanic Ash Rain from Mt Kelud

Magelang (Antara) - The world's biggest Buddhist temple, Borobudur in Magelang, Central Java, has been closed on Friday due to the volcanic ash rain that was spewed from Mount Kelud in Kediri, East Java. "I was on my way to Borobudur. The ash was quite thick; visibility range has dipped to around seven meters," the President of PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko Laily Prihatiningtyas stated on Friday. The temple's authority, decided to close the temple from any tourism activity, after coordinating with the Borobudur Conservation Office, as the Buddhist temple, built in the eight century during the Syailendran Dynasty, has been covered by volcanic ash from Mount Kelud. "Some visitors who had been already inside the park were not allowed to climb the temple," clarified Prihatiningtyas. As a safety measure, the temple has been kept closed because the volcanic ashes have made the temple floors slippery. Head of Borobudur Conservation Office Marsis Sutopo had instructed the shut down as a preservation measure for Borobudur Temple due to Kelud's volcanic ash. The volcanic ash from Kelud was spewed into the temple area at around 3 a.m. local time. Mount Kelud in East Java erupted on Thursday night producing molten lava and black smoke. The molten lava was seen clearly from the sub-district of Talun, in Blitar, East Java, around 15-20 kilometers from the mountain. Antara reporter from Blitar stated that people were running from their homes and some were even hitting electricity poles to alert others that the mountain had really erupted as per the reports since 10.56 p.m. local time. (*)