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OGYAKARTA: A river of mud swept away three houses and severely damaged tens of others in Cangkringan district, Sleman, Yogyakarta, on Monday, after a bed of cooling lava exploded on the slopes of Mt. Merapi.

The explosions were triggered as heavy rainfall swept the Gendol River, which flows from Merapi’s slopes. The river was still full with cooling lava spewed from the volcano during last November’s deadly eruptions.

The heavy rain caused the cooling lava to explode in two spots in Besalen village, Glagaharjo, Cangkringan, destroying a nearby dike on the river that had been erected to protect the surrounding areas from volcanic mud floods called lahar.

“The explosion happened on Sunday night,” said Parjio of Guling village, Argomulyo, Cangkringan. — JP