Local Eruptions Continue on Indonesia's Mt. Merapi

Local volcanic eruptions are continuing on Mt. Merapi, located on the Indonesian island of Java. Some 5,000 residents were evacuated amid fears of a major eruption according to the Associated Press and ABC News.

At the present time (May 19), there were no reported injuries and fatalities, and press coverage has been focusing on the voluntary return of evacuees to the area. Current local threats from the local patterns of volcanic activity include potentially dangerous clouds of gas, ash, and debris. Local authorities are still warning of a potential major eruption triggered by the collapse of a recently-formed lava dome.

In 1994, a lava dome collapse ejected hot ash into the surrounding environment and caused 70 fatalities.

Please click on the links below for the information on this rapidly-developing situation:

Date	Latest Updates
Ongoing	Alert status from the Southwest Volcanic Research Center.
Ongoing	Disaster briefs from ReliefWeb and AlertNet.
Ongoing	Daily reporting from the Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.
Ongoing	Coverage from the BBC.