REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here on Sunday left for Kediri District, East Java province, to visit victims of Mount Kelud eruption and inspect the handling of the disaster.
The head of state, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and a number of ministers took a special train from Gambir, Central Jakarta, for a 12-hour journey to Madiun.
The train is scheduled to arrive in Madiun on Sunday at 7 pm local time, and the president and the entourage will stay overnight at the Iswahjudi Air Force base complex in Madiun. On Monday morning, they will proceed to Kediri by cars.
Yudhoyono are expected to visit refugee camps in Segaran village in Wates sub-district, and Nglegok village in Blitar district, as well as to a disaster mitigation command post in Simpang Lima Gumul area in Wates.
On Monday evening, the president and his entourage will stay overnight in the Malang Naval base, East Java.
Members of the presidential entourage include Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi, Education Minister Mohammad Nuh, and Environmental Affairs Minister Balthazar Kambuaya.
On Saturday evening, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said the number of refugees decreased from 210 thousand people when the volcano erupted to around 75 thousands now.
Mount Kelud erupted on Thursday evening (Feb. 13) and spewed volcanic materials such as gravel and ash amounting to 120 million to 200 million cubic meters, at a height of up to 17 km.
The volcano is located in the borders of three districts, namely Kediri, Blitar and Malang, all in East Java Province. But its volcanic ash was spread to East Java, Yogyakarta, Central Java, West Java, and West Nusa Tenggara provinces.
Four people were reportedly killed related to the Kelud eruption.
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