Indonesia raises volcano alert status for Mt. Papandayan

The Indonesian government raised the alert status of Mount Papandayan in Garut, West Java province, to level 3 from level 2 on Saturday morning, thejakartapost.com online news reported. The Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) raised the alert status at 04:00 local time (21:00 GMT on Friday). PVMBG head Surono advised all tourists and locals to stay outside a 2-kilometer radius from the volcano's craters. The new alert status, Surono said, resulted from increasing volcanic activities as recorded at the volcano's craters. Surono said gas was spewing from those craters and that the agency's data apparatus also registered an increasing number of volcanic tremors as well as deformation. Surono called on the residents to remain calm and await further notice from the relevant authorities.