Mount Merapi, Indonesia:
Frightened residents fled a bustling city of 400,000 at the foot of Indonesia's rumbling volcano on Monday, cramming onto trains, buses and rented vehicles as authorities warned Mount Merapi could erupt again at any time.
A mass burial late on Sunday for many of the 141 people killed in the last two weeks served as a reminder of the mountain's devastating power that culminated in its deadliest blast in 80 years that sent hot clouds of gas, rocks and debris avalanching down its slopes.
"My parents have been calling ... saying 'You have to get out of there! You have to come home!" said Linda Ervana, a 21-year-old history student who was waiting with friends at a train station in the university town of Yogyakarta, 20 miles (30 kilometres) away.
After failing to get tickets, they rented a minibus with other classmates.
"It feels like that movie '2012,'" said her 22-year-old friend, Paulina Setin. "Like a disaster in a movie."
Concerns about airborne ash after Friday's massive eruption prompted many international airlines to cancel flights to the capital, Jakarta, just days before President Barack Obama's planned trip to Indonesia, his second stop in a 10-day Asian tour.
All were flying again today, and White House officials said Obama was still scheduled to touch down tomorrow.
Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has erupted many times in the last century, killing more than 1,400. But Friday was the mountain's deadliest day since 1930, with nearly 100 lives lost.
Islam mandates that the dead be buried quickly, so authorities gave relatives three days to identify their loved ones. To speed up the process, most families chose to have their relatives interred in a mass grave, a common practice in Indonesia following a disaster.
One by one the bodies, some too charred to be identified were lowered into a massive trench in the shadow of the volcano.
Merapi was still issuing explosive roars today as it shot clouds of gas and debris up to 3,000 feet (1 kilometre) in the air as ash and pyroclastic flows poured down its slopes.
"Based on what we're seeing now, it could erupt again any time," said Surono, a state volcanologist.
A mass burial late on Sunday for many of the 141 people killed in the last two weeks served as a reminder of the mountain's devastating power that culminated in its deadliest blast in 80 years that sent hot clouds of gas, rocks and debris avalanching down its slopes.
"My parents have been calling ... saying 'You have to get out of there! You have to come home!" said Linda Ervana, a 21-year-old history student who was waiting with friends at a train station in the university town of Yogyakarta, 20 miles (30 kilometres) away.
After failing to get tickets, they rented a minibus with other classmates.
"It feels like that movie '2012,'" said her 22-year-old friend, Paulina Setin. "Like a disaster in a movie."
Concerns about airborne ash after Friday's massive eruption prompted many international airlines to cancel flights to the capital, Jakarta, just days before President Barack Obama's planned trip to Indonesia, his second stop in a 10-day Asian tour.
All were flying again today, and White House officials said Obama was still scheduled to touch down tomorrow.
Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has erupted many times in the last century, killing more than 1,400. But Friday was the mountain's deadliest day since 1930, with nearly 100 lives lost.
Islam mandates that the dead be buried quickly, so authorities gave relatives three days to identify their loved ones. To speed up the process, most families chose to have their relatives interred in a mass grave, a common practice in Indonesia following a disaster.
One by one the bodies, some too charred to be identified were lowered into a massive trench in the shadow of the volcano.
Merapi was still issuing explosive roars today as it shot clouds of gas and debris up to 3,000 feet (1 kilometre) in the air as ash and pyroclastic flows poured down its slopes.
"Based on what we're seeing now, it could erupt again any time," said Surono, a state volcanologist.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
