Death toll from Indonesia's Mount Merapi eruption exceeds 300

Indonesia's Mount Merapi Volcano

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November 21, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- The death toll from recent eruptions at Indonesia's volatile Mount Merapi has reached 304, Indonesian media said Sunday.

The death toll climbed after several victims succumbed to illnesses linked to the eruption and severe burns, also more ash-buried bodies have been recently found at the slopes of the volcano, Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said in a statement.

Mount Merapi is one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in Indonesia and has produced more lava flows than any other volcano in the world. It has been active for 10,000 years and has registered eruptions on average every four years.

On October 26 mount Merapi erupted after years of dormancy, a series of eruptions followed. The volcano's eruption on November 5 was deemed the deadliest in decades.

Merapi is located about 20 miles to the north of Yogyakarta, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1,700 meters above sea level.

Currently, the volcanic activity has declined and the current eruptions are not enough dangerous to endanger people, the BNPB said. Some 200,000 local residents have already returned home. (*)

Death toll from Indonesia's volcano climbs to 275

File photo : Indonesian Elite Forces (KOPASSUS) and rescue team evacuate a victim of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

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November 18, 2010. Indonesia (KATAKAMI / THE STRAITS TIMES) --- The number of people killed by a series of eruptions at Indonesia's most volatile volcano in recent weeks has risen to 275.

The National Disaster Management Agency said Thursday that the toll climbed after more than a dozen victims succumbed to their injuries - mostly severe burns.

Mount Merapi began unleashing torrents of hot gas, rock and other debris late last month after years of dormancy. The most significant blast came Nov. 5, the deadliest day at the mountain in decades.

The disaster agency said most of the 275 people were killed by searing gas clouds. Others died during panicked evacuations or from respiratory problems and other illnesses linked to the mountain. (*)

Mount Merapi evacuees start returning home

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November 18, 2010. Gunung Kidul (KATAKAMI / ANTARA) - A total of 1,625 evacuees of Mt Merapi have started leaving their shelters in Gunung Kidul regency, Yogyakarta, returning to their villages.

"The 1,625 evacuees started leaving their shelters on Sunday. They were part of the 11,714 refugees sheltering outside the main command post of the Gunung Kidul regency administration, known as Rest Area Bunder," Gunung Kidul regency administration spokesman Azis Shaleh said on the sidelines of monitoring the condition of the refugees at the shelters in Bunder, Playen, Gunung Kidul, Wednesday.

He said that the number of evacuees at the main command post at Rest Area Bunder had even increased from 730 to 747.

Azis did not know for sure what exactly made the refugees to return to their homes. Maybe they now felt safe following the announcement that the danger zone had been reduced, and many others wished to observe the Day of Sacrifice at their hometowns, he said.

He added that the home-going evacuees had already asked for permission from their coordinator or volunteers at the refugee command posts in each subdistrict.

One of the refugees of Cangkringan, Tugiman, said he preferred to stay at the Bunder refugees command post until an official statement on the safety of status of Mt Merapi.

"We have been moving several times from one place to other refugee camps so that we preferred to stay put until the government issued an official announcement on the safe status of Mr Merapi, and allow us to return to hour homes," he said. (*)

Photostream : Indonesia's Mount Merapi spews volcanic ash again and death toll at 206

Mount Merapi volcano erupts, as seen from Manisrenggo village in Klaten of Indonesia's central Java province November 12, 2010. Mount Merapi volcano, on the outskirts of Yogyakarta city in central Java, began spewing searing hot gas and ash clouds more than two weeks ago. Displaced more than 320,000 people. 

The death toll from a series of eruptions from an Indonesian volcano has risen to 206, officials said. Mount Merapi began unleashing torrents of hot gas, rock and other debris more than two weeks ago after years of dormancy. The most significant blast came last Friday, the deadliest day at the mountain in decades. The National Disaster Management Agency said that the toll had gone up from 194 to 206, after counting additional people who died from respiratory problems, heart attacks and other illnesses related to the eruptions. Hot ash was pouring more slowly from the volcano, but experts warned residents to stay away, saying it could erupt again.(Getty Images / REUTERS/Dwi Oblo )

Mount Merapi volcano erupts in Indonesia's central Java province in this aerial view taken November 11, 2010. Mount Merapi volcano, on the outskirts of Yogyakarta city in central Java, began spewing searing hot gas and ash clouds more than two weeks ago. Displaced more than 320,000 people. The death toll from a series of eruptions from an Indonesian volcano has risen to 206, officials said. Mount Merapi began unleashing torrents of hot gas, rock and other debris more than two weeks ago after years of dormancy. The most significant blast came last Friday, the deadliest day at the mountain in decades. The National Disaster Management Agency said that the toll had gone up from 194 to 206, after counting additional people who died from respiratory problems, heart attacks and other illnesses related to the eruptions. Hot ash was pouring more slowly from the volcano, but experts warned residents to stay away, saying it could erupt again (Getty Images / REUTERS/Raditya Djati )

Refugees from the eruption of Mount Merapi volcano select clothes at a temporary shelter in Sleman of Indonesia's central Java province November 12, 2010. Mount Merapi volcano, on the outskirts of Yogyakarta city in central Java, began spewing searing hot gas and ash clouds more than two weeks ago, and has killed 194 people, disrupted flights and displaced more than 320,000 people. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Dwi Oblo )

Statues of Rama and Sinta are covered volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi at Muntilan, Magelang, Indonesia, Friday Nov. 12, 2010.(Getty Images / AP Photo / Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesian Muslim pray at a mosque covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi at Muntilan, Magelang, Indonesia, Friday Nov 12, 2010.(Geety Images / AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi covers the Borobudur temple in Magelang, Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 11, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo / Achmad Ibrahim )

An Indonesian dries her laundry while taking shelter at an evacuation centre following Mount Merapi's eruption in Sleman on November 12, 2010. Indonesia's most active volcano sent clouds of ash high into the sky after a series of major eruptions, with an alert status remaining in force, an official said yesterday. Since Mount Merapi began erupting in late October, a total of 194 people have died, according to yesterday's updated toll, and more than 360,000 people have been forced to live in makeshift camps outside the danger zone. (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Photostream : Indonesia's Mount Merapi spews volcanic material

Mount Merapi spews volcanic material as seen from Argomulyo, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov 11, 2010.(Getty Images / AP Photo/Slamet Riyadi)

Rescuers search for victims of the eruption of Mount Merapi at Cangkringan, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. Indonesia's deadly volcano spit out towering clouds of ash but with clear skies over the capital, hundreds of miles (kilometers) to the west, international airlines resumed flights Thursday. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

Mount Merapi spews volcanic material as seen from Klaten, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. Indonesia's deadly volcano spit out towering clouds of ash but with clear skies over the capital, hundreds of miles (kilometers) to the west, international airlines resumed flights Thursday. (Getty Images /AP Photo)

Volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi covers Ketep village in Magelang, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Rescuers from Indonesian Elite Forces (KOPASSUS) search for victims of the eruption of Mount Merapi at Cangkringan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Thursday Nov. 11, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

Rescuers from Indonesian Elite Forces (KOPASSUS) search for victims of the eruption of Mount Merapi at Cangkringan, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. Indonesia's deadly volcano spit out towering clouds of ash but with clear skies over the capital, hundreds of miles (kilometers) to the west, international airlines resumed flights Thursday. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara)

Indonesian soldiers (TNI) clean volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi covering Borobudur temple in Magelang, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Villagers clear the ash clogging the Batang river following Mount Merapi's eruption near Dukun in central Java on November 11, 2010. Indonesia's most active volcano Mount Merapi was shooting clouds of ash high into the sky today after a series of major eruptions, and an alert status remains in force, an official said (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Motorcylists ride through the devastated village of Dukun, near Magelang following Mount Merapi's eruption on November 11, 2010. Indonesia's most active volcano Mount Merapi was shooting clouds of ash high into the sky today after a series of major eruptions, and an alert status remains in force, an official said (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian volcano's death toll rises to 191

Boys look at the eruption of Mount Merapi volcano in Manisrenggo village, in the Klaten district of Indonesia's central Java province Nov 10, 2010. Mount Merapi showed lethargic signs on Wednesday but authorities would not lower down its alert status because of its intense seismic activities, the head of the country's vulcanolology agency said. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Andry Prasetyo )

November 10, 2010 (KATAKAMI / CNN) -- The toll from recent eruptions of Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano has climbed to 191 dead and 145 seriously injured, government officials said Wednesday.
Scores of others have suffered less severe injuries, said Dr. Sigit Priohutomo, of the Merapi Disaster Health Team.

Recent eruptions of Merapi started on October 26, displacing 200,000 people, relief agencies such as Plan Indonesia have estimated.

On Wednesday, volcanic ash from Merapi forced airlines such as Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas Airways to cancel flights at the Yogyakarta and Jakarta airports, airport officials said.

The threat of ash also prompted the early departure of U.S. President Barack Obama from Indonesia. Obama, who was visiting on a 10-day tour of Asia, left early for South Korea, where he is to attend the G-20 summit.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called the volcano eruptions a crisis situation. On Sunday, he and several of his ministers visited Yogyakarta to oversee relief efforts.

The president has announced that residents will receive compensation for livelihoods and animals lost to the eruptions. The government will buy endangered cows on the volcano, Yudhoyono said. Many of those who live on its slopes raise cattle and risked their lives by staying or returning to feed their cows during lulls of volcanic activity.

Ash columns from Merapi's recent eruptions have risen as high as 6 kilometers (3.7 miles), according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency.

An ash cloud that hit a village near the crater was about 450 to 600 degrees Celsius (842 to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Indonesian Volcanology Technology Development and Assessment Agency.
The 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) Merapi, in Central Java, is famously unpredictable. About 1,300 people died when it erupted in 1930.

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Volcano ash forces flight cancellations in Indonesia

Mount Merapi spews volcanic material as seen from Wukirsari, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010 (AP Photo)

November 10, 2010 Jakarta, Indonesia (KATAKAMI / CNN) -- Volcanic ash spewing from Indonesia's Mount Merapi has forced some airlines to cancel flights out of Jakarta's international airport, airport officials said Wednesday.

Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas Airways had canceled flights at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, airport spokesman Andang Santoso said. Singapore Airlines said it was continuing to fly.

Large clouds of gas and dust from Merapi's recent eruptions also have forced some flight cancellations into and out of the Yogyakarta airport.

Travelers were asked to check with their airlines for schedule changes.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama shortened his visit to the Indonesian capital because of concerns that volcanic ash could ground Air Force One in Jakarta, according to administration officials.

Recent eruptions of Merapi, which started on October 26, have killed at least 156 people, officials at Sardjito hospital have said. The eruptions also have displaced an estimated 200,000 people.

The 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) Merapi, in Central Java, is famously unpredictable. About 1,300 people died when Merapi erupted in 1930.


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Indonesia's Mount Merapi Volcanic ash disrupts Jetstar flights to Bali

Ash clouds from volcano Mt Merapi in Java have caused disruptions to Jetstar's flight schedule in Bali. (AFP: Clara Prima)

November 10, 2010 (KATAKAMI / ABC.NET.AU) - Jetstar has been forced to cancel and reschedule flights to and from Bali because of an ash plume from Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano.

The airline is Australia's most frequent carrier to Bali, with four flights out of Australia each day.

But it has stopped night flights to the island because pilots need to make visual checks on approach to the Denpasar airport.

Tonight's flight from Darwin to Denpasar has been cancelled and a flight from Melbourne to Denpasar was re-routed to Darwin yesterday.

Another flight from Denpasar to Darwin is due to land in Darwin this afternoon - almost 12 hours later than scheduled.

The airline has rescheduled its Sydney-to-Denpasar service to ensure all flights to Bali land in daylight hours.

"It allows our pilots to have full visual scope of coming into and out of Denpasar International Airport airspace and we're doing that purely as a precautionary measure in line with high safety standards," Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said.

The airline is offering passengers a range of options to compensate them for any interruptions to their travel.

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Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano causes more flight chaos

Indonesia's Mount Merapi spews massive hot clouds of volcanic ash and rocks as seen from Sleman district in central Java on November 6. Airlines cancelled dozens of flights to and from Jakarta, affecting international carriers from Europe to Asia, because of the volcanic ash. (AFP/SONNY TUMBELAKA)

Flights to Jakarta Canceled Over Volcano

November 08, 2010. JAKARTA (KATAKAMI / Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's twice-postponed visit to Indonesia looked on track on Monday after flights to the capital returned to normal following a weekend of disruptions caused by a deadly volcano.

Mount Merapi in central Java began spewing lava, superheated gas and deadly clouds of ash two weeks ago, and has so far killed over 130 people and forced the evacuation of nearly 300,000.

Dozens of flights to and from the capital Jakarta, around 600 km (375 miles) from the volcano, were cancelled over the weekend after the volcano belched fresh clouds of volcanic ash 6,000 metres (19,000 ft) into the atmosphere.

Indonesian authorities saying conditions were safe, but international airlines scrapped scores of flights.
By Monday afternoon normal service had mostly resumed, though Filipino budget airline Cebu Air Inc said it had cancelled its 9.30 p.m. (1330 GMT) flight to Jakarta.

"All have returned to normal," said Andang Santoso, a spokesman for the operator of Jakarta's Sukarno-Hatta airport. "They trust us that there is no impact of Merapi here, so they can fly here."

Authorities did, however, order the closure of the airport at Yogyakarta, the historic cultural city closest to the volcano.

"Since the weather is impossible ... we decided to close Yogyakarta for both commercial and civil aircrafts," said Harjoso Tjandra, operational and technical director at the airport.

On Sunday, U.S. officials said they were closely monitoring the situation ahead of Obama's scheduled Tuesday arrival.

Obama has twice postponed visits to Indonesia -- where he lived for several years as a child with his mother -- the first time in March as he struggled to push through a healthcare reform bill in the U.S. and the second in June after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A British Airways flight came close to crashing nearly three decades ago after its engines sucked in ash from another Indonesian volcano, Mount Galunggung, about 180 km southeast of Jakarta.

Indonesia's disaster agency said clouds of hot toxic gases continued to roll down the slopes of Merapi on Monday, hampering efforts to create a 20 km (12 miles) exclusion zone around the summit.

The country is also struggling with the aftermath of a tsunami in the remote Mentawai islands off Sumatra last week that killed at least 445 people.

Metro TV footage showed an aerial view of Borobudur, site of one of the world's largest Buddhist temples and a UNESCO heritage site about 50 km northwest of the volcano coated with ash.

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Photostream : Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano still spews volcanic ash on Monday, death toll reaches165

A villager watches from Jambon village in the Sleman district of Indonesia's central Java province, as Mount Merapi spews smoke and ash, November 8, 2010. The death toll from the eruption of Mount Merapi, reaching 165 people. A total of 148 victims came from Yogyakarta, and 17 people from Central Java. The data was presented the Special Staff of the Presidential Disaster Area, Andi Arif, Monday (8 / 11), Metro TV reported on Monday. Data obtained from Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta. To reach the 453 people injured. The average victims died of burns suffered from hot clouds. It happened the first time since the Merapi eruption on October 26, 2010 ( Photo by REUTERS/Sigit Pamungkas )

Mount Merapi spews volcanic ash into the air as seen from Cangkringan, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010. The death toll from the eruption of Mount Merapi, reaching 165 people. A total of 148 victims came from Yogyakarta, and 17 people from Central Java. The data was presented the Special Staff of the Presidential Disaster Area, Andi Arif, Monday (8 / 11), Metro TV reported on Monday. Data obtained from Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta. To reach the 453 people injured. The average victims died of burns suffered from hot clouds. It happened the first time since the Merapi eruption on October 26, 2010 ( Photo by AP Photo/Trisnadi)

Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano spews smoke and ash, as seen from Jambon village in the Sleman district of Indonesia's central Java province November 8, 2010. Mount Merapi, on the outskirts of Yogyakarta, began spewing lava, superheated gas and deadly clouds of ash two week ago and has so far killed over 130 people and forced the evacuation of nearly 300,000. REUTERS/Sigit Pamungkas

Mount Merapi spews ash to the sky as seen from Cangkringan in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces wearing masks prepare to evacuate the victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Ashes from the eruption of Mount Merapi cover Muntilan city, central Java, on November 8, 2010. Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano killed 85 people in its latest eruption, with scores more suffering severe burns, an official said on November 6, bringing the overall toll to 128. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Merapi Ground Heat Forces Indonesia to Halt Search for Bodies

Mount Merapi erupting again on Monday. (AFP Photo/Bay Ismoyo)

November 08, 2010. Indonesia (KATAKAMI - THE JAKARTA GLOBE) ---  Indonesian rescue workers were forced to abandon efforts to retrieve bodies of victims from the Nov. 5 eruption of Mount Merapi in central Java, as increasing ground temperature and volcanic instability made it unsafe to continue.

Rescuers had been using wooden boards to walk on in areas where the soil reached temperatures higher than 70 degrees Celsius, Oka Hamid, a spokesman at Red Cross Indonesia’s Yogyakarta branch, said today.

“We found five bodies at Glagaharjo village, but only one was removed,” Hamid said by phone. “We are coming down now because the ground there is too hot and Merapi is unstable.”

Non-flammable boots and special gloves are needed to protect rescuers from hot burning soil, Hamid said.

“We need at least 30 pair of gloves and boots,” he said. “Non-flammable boots are important in case we need to flee if anything bad happened.”

The death toll since the volcano began erupting Oct. 26 rose to 141 from 135 yesterday, with about 280,000 people seeking shelter in evacuation centers outside the 20-kilometer safety zone from Mount Merapi, the National Disaster Management Agency said in a statement on its Web site today.

Merapi, which means mountain of fire, has been spewing hot ash clouds for two weeks, stretching rescue efforts as villagers defy safety orders to tend to their cattle stranded on the mountain’s slopes. The volcano may release hot ash for about two months, Subandriyo, an official at the Energy Ministry’s Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center, said on Nov. 3.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono returned to Jakarta today, ahead of United States President Barrack Obama visit on Nov. 9-10, after spending two days in Yogyakarta to directly overseeing Merapi relief efforts.

Obama is scheduled to fly to Jakarta from India tomorrow, for a brief trip to the world’s largest majority-Muslim country, where he spent part of his childhood.

“The Embassy fully expects President Obama to arrive on Nov. 9 as scheduled,” Paul T. Belmont, press attaché at the United States Embassy in Jakarta, said in an e-mailed statement today. “The Merapi eruptions have not altered his plan to visit Indonesia.”

At least nine airlines including Singapore Airlines Ltd., Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Japan Airlines Corp. resumed services yesterday after suspending them for one day for safety reasons due to volcanic ash from Merapi, Frans Yosef, an officer at Angkasa Pura II, the operator of Soekarno-Hatta international airport, said on Sunday.

Philippine Airlines Inc., Emirates, Eva Airways Corp. and Valuair Ltd. resumed services to Jakarta today, the operator said on its Web site today.


Bloomberg

Photostream : Indonesian Elite Forces (Kopassus) and rescue team evacuated the victims of Mount Merapi eruption

Indonesian army special forces wears masks as they prepare to evacuate the victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s.  (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces wear masks as they search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces and rescue team evacuate a victim of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870s.  (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces and rescue team evacuate a victim of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on Friday, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870 (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Indonesian army special forces search for victims of Mount Merapi eruption at Pejambon in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on November 8, 2010. International airlines were forced to reschedule dozens of flights to Indonesia yesterday as deadly Mount Merapi spewed ash into the sky, ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama. The toll from a series of eruptions since late October rose to 132 as bodies were pulled from the volcanic sludge that thundered down on central Java on November 5, Merapi's biggest eruption since the 1870 (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Flights to Jakarta Canceled Over Volcano

Indonesia's Mount Merapi spews massive hot clouds of volcanic ash and rocks as seen from Sleman district in central Java on November 6. Airlines cancelled dozens of flights to and from Jakarta, affecting international carriers from Europe to Asia, because of the volcanic ash. (AFP/SONNY TUMBELAKA)

November 07, 2010. Jakarta (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA GLOBE) ---  Thousands of international air travelers are in limbo after airlines on Saturday canceled scores of weekend flights into and out of Jakarta over fears that ash clouds from Mount Merapi posed a danger, but then began reinstating or rescheduling many of the flights on Sunday.

The notoriously volatile Mount Merapi unleashed nearly 50 million cubic meters of gas, rocks and ash on Friday, its most powerful eruption in a century. Up to 138 people have now died on Merapi's slopes in the past ten days of eruptions and gas cloud ash emissions, and authorities were still struggling on Sunday to deal with those injured in the latest blast.

Airlines canceled 50 Sunday flights in addition to 36 on Saturday over concerns about volcanic ash being spewed into the sky 430  kilometers to the east.

Signs of the eruption of the Mount Merapi volcano (C) puncturing the cloud cover over Java are pictured in this NASA Terra satellite image taken November 5, 2010 and obtained November 6, 2010.

The airlines halting flights to the capital include Singapore Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Japan Airlines.

However, some carriers resumed some flights on Sunday. Singapore Airlines reinstated two morning flights, and has added a supplementary flight from Singapore to Jakarta and back tonight. Malaysia Airlines said three flights from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta and three from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur would be operated as normal, but two flights in each direction remain canceled.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport operator Angkasa Pura II issued an official list of flights affected as of 12.15pm on Sunday:

Cancelled flights:
Emirates Airlines: 4 flights; EK-356/357 (15.45/17.45) EK-358/359 (21.45/00.15)
Philippine Airlines: 2 flights; PR-503/504 (12.30/13.20)
ValuAir: 2 flights; VF-507/508 (11.35/12.15)
Cathay Pacific: 2 flights; X-777/776 (13.05/14.50)
JetStar: 2 flights; JQ-115 (20.05/20.35)
Japan Airlines: 2 flights; JL-725/726 (17.20/22.05)

Flights previously canceled but reinstated:
Singapore Airlines: 2 flights; SQ-952/953 (14.45/15.40)
Singapore Airlines: 2 supplementary flights added; SQ-954/955 (20.45/21.40)
KLM: 2 flights; KL-809/810 (18.10/19.25)
Lufthansa: 2 flights; LH-778/779 (18.50/20.05)
Brunei Airlines: 2 flights; BI-737/738 (13.25/14.50)

Domestic flights to/from Yogyakarta cancelled:
Garuda Indonesia: 15 flights (8 departure / 7 arrival)
Lion Airlines: 4 flights (3 departure / 1  arrival)
Batavia: 2 flights (1 departure / 1 arrival)

Lightning strikes as Mount Merapi volcano erupts spewing out towering clouds of hot gas and debris, as seen from Ketep village in Magelang, Indonesia's Central Java province November 6, 2010. REUTERS/Beawiharta

Airlines are advising passengers to check their online schedules and announcements as the situation is changing hourly due to weather conditions.

Australian airline Qantas said it had made a careful assessment of weather conditions and will go ahead with today's flight from Sydney to Jakarta.

A spokesman for Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport, which handles around 900 flights per day, confirmed that the airport remained fully open, and flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air are still running all international flights out of there.

“There has been no notice to airman so far from the aviation authorities which says the airport is affected by the volcanic ash. Therefore Garuda continues its activities,” Garuda Indonesia spokesman Pujobroto told news portal kompas.com.

Domestic flights from Jakarta are mostly unaffected so far, but flights to cities closer to Merapi on the main island of Java - including Yogyakarta, Solo and Bandung - have been affected, with the closure of smaller airports near the volcano delaying the arrival of burn cream and ventilators for those whose skin and lungs have been singed by searing gases.

US President Barack Obama is scheduled to touch down in Jakarta on Tuesday as part of a 10-day Asian tour. Since taking office, Obama has already twice postponed visits to Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim nation, where he spent four years as a child.

Paul Belmont, a US Embassy spokesman, said there has been no talk yet of canceling. "But certainly, if the situation evolves into something like what we saw in Europe not long ago (when the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul forced closed airports for a week) it's something we'd have to take seriously," Belmont said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Three Malaysian air force planes arrived in Indonesia to pick up hundreds of citizens stranded by the eruption of Mount Merapi. The Royal Malaysian Air Force says the C-130 transport planes left early on Sunday.

They will pick up 664 Malaysians, many of them university students who had been in the city of Yogyakarta, 30 kilometers south of the volcano. The city is on its highest alert for the danger of ash and lava flows from Merapi.

JG, AP, AFP

Indonesia : Mount Merapi refugees to be concentrated

Refugees look for second-hand clothes distributed at a temporary shelter for those affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, November 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

November 06, 2010 (KATAKAMI / THE JAKARTA POST) -- Yogyakarta government considers relocating people displaced by Mt. Merapi eruptions to stadiums and big buildings that can accommodate thousands of people in order to facilitate supply of food.

Governor Hamengku Buwono X said Saturday he would coordinate with the Sleman regency and Yogyakarta municipality administrations to relocate the refugees to Maguwoharjo Stadium in Sleman, and Mandala Krida Stadium and the Youth Center in Yogyakarta.

Refugee camps are scattered across Sleman, many of them accommodated at Maguwoharjo Stadium.

Refugee rest in a safe place as searing ash clouds shoot from the crater of Mount Merapi in Klaten district, Central Java, on November 6, 2010 (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)

The governor, who is also the Yogyakarta sultan, also offered the displaced people to camp at Pagelaran Sitihinggil square in his palace compound. “The place is open to the refugees if they feel secure and comfortable there,” he said as quoted by kompas.com..

More than 202,000 people from four regencies around Mt. Merapi have sought refuge after a series of eruptions, 56,000 of them in Sleman. (*)

Photostream : Hospital overwhelmed by Indonesia volcano victims

An injured, suffered from Mount Merapi eruption, receives treatment from an Indonesian medic at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia , Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. The hospital at the foot of Indonesia's most volatile volcano is struggling to cope with victims brought in after the mountain's most powerful eruption in a century. Some have clothes, blankets and even mattresses fused to their skin. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

An injured, suffered due to Mount Merapi eruption, lies on a bed at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia , Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. The hospital at the foot of Indonesia's most volatile volcano is struggling to cope with victims brought in after the mountain's most powerful eruption in a century. Some have clothes, blankets and even mattresses fused to their skin. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

An injured, suffered due to Mount Merapi eruption, receives treatment from an Indonesian medic at a hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia , Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. The hospital at the foot of Indonesia's most volatile volcano is struggling to cope with victims brought in after the mountain's most powerful eruption in a century. Some have clothes, blankets and even mattresses fused to their skin. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A medic, right, measures blood pressure of an Indonesian refugee at a temporary shelter for those affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

An Indonesian refugee, left, is attended to by a medic at a temporary shelter for those affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Volunteers assist an evacuee from Mount Merapi eruption having breathing difficulty due to volcanic ash exposure on arrival at a sport stadium used as an evacuation center in Sleman district on November 5, 2010. At least 54 people were killed and dozens injured Friday when Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano erupted again, burning villages as far as 18 kilometres (11 miles) away, officials said. The latest deaths bring the total toll to more than 90 since the country's most active volcano started erupting on October 26. (Photo by SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava and ash spews from erupting Mount Merapi seen from Klaten district in Central Java province before dawn, on November 6. Indonesia's most active volcano, Mount Merapi, killed 77 people with its latest eruption and forced thousands to flee after it erupted again. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)

Mount Merapi volcano erupts spewing out towering clouds of hot gas and debris as seen from Ketep village in Magelang, Indonesia's Central Java province, November 6, 2010. Merapi erupted with renewed ferocity on Friday, killing 65 people, bringing the total death told to over 100 and blanketing the area with white ash. REUTERS/Beawiharta

Indonesian army member distributes food for refugees at a temporary shelter for those who are affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia,Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010. Merapi's latest round of eruptions began Oct. 26, followed by more than a dozen other powerful blasts and thousands of tremors. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)