Mount Kelud eruption: Airports reopen on Java island

Malang, Cilacap and Semarang airports reopened Saturday on the Indonesian island of Java after being forced to close following the eruption of Mount Kelud.

Correspondents say air quality has improved across Java, but cities and villages are still covered in a layer of dust and ash.

Tens of thousands remain in shelters, facing medicine and blanket shortages.

Mount Kelud spewed ash and debris over a large area on Friday, killing three people.

The volcano had been rumbling for several weeks before it erupted.

Authorities said they were not expecting another major tremor, because the patterns showed volcanoes tended to quieten down after a large eruption.

The airports shut down because of low visibility. There were also fears that debris could damage aircraft engines.

Some 75,000 people are estimated to have sought refuge in temporary shelters.

Officials raised an alert on Thursday about an hour before the volcano erupted.

They urged people living in 36 villages within 6 miles of the volcano to evacuate.

Officials said two people died when their homes caved in under the weight of gravel and ash.

The volcano last erupted in 1990, killing dozens of people. A powerful eruption in 1919 killed around 5,000 people.

Indonesia lies across a series of geological fault-lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

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