People Called to be on Alert For Cold Lava

Kediri (Antara) - People living in the sub-district of Ngancar, Kediri, East Java, have been advised to be on alert for potential cold lava flows following Mt Kelud's eruption on Thursday night. "If heavy rain falls, it is not impossible for the cold lava to fall and this is very dangerous, as large stones might also be carried along with it, " head of Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) Muhammad Hendrasto said here on Saturday. He said lava could fall, but it would depend upon the weather. He hoped people would avoid locations of lava pockets. Regarding Mount Kelud, he said it remained dangerous and its activity is still continuing, so the public must avoid activities within a radius of 10 kilometers of the mountain. Muhammad added that eruptions might be over, but it does not mean that the volcano's activity has died down, adding that the volcano is still spewing volcanic ash. The mountain's activity is still very high, and it remains under an alert status, he said. He urged people to adhere to the ban on entering within a radius of 10 kilometers, adding that he did not know when the ban would be lifted. He said PVMBG will continue monitoring the mountain and would only review its danger status if its activity has dropped and the situation is no longer dangerous.(*) reporting by fiqih arfani (T.KR-FQH/H-YH/INE)