( Gulfnews ) Indonesia's Mount Kelud volcano, which was put on the country's second-highest alert level last month, shows several alarming signs indicating it may erupt, the country's top volcano expert said.
"I'm scared about Kelud ," said Surono , head of the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation in Bandung , on Saturday.
" Kelud is now on the point of no return." The number of volcanic earthquakes at Mt Kelud , 90km southwest of Indonesia's second-largest city Sura-baya , has risen to as high as 23 in one day, compared with a maximum of 15 a day just before its last eruption in 1990, Surono said.
The 1,731-metre volcano's "deformation" or expansion has increased, and gas and chemical levels have risen, while the temperature of the lake in the volcano's crater is climbing more rapidly, hitting 37.4C on Saturday, compared with 32C in August.