JAKARTA, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Indonesia's military has sent 6,000 personnel to central Java to cope with the continuing eruptions of Mount Merapi, a general said Saturday.
Brig. Gen. Syahiding, commander of the force for "Mount Merapi mitigation," told the Kompas newspaper personnel from the army, navy and air force are combing the disaster area for victims and setting up emergency barracks.
"Initially, the task was handled by the Military Territory Commandos of Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces," he said. "However, as the impact gets bigger, we set a mitigation task force that is supported by all military elements."
The personnel are patrolling the evacuation zone to search for people remaining and remove bodies, cattle and other goods left behind.
The eruption has claimed at least 195 lives so far and uprooted about 35,000 people.
