BBC Online :
Several airports have reopened on the Indonesian island of Java after being forced to close following the eruption of a volcano.
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, in Java’s east, 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 transport ministry said airports in Malang, Cilacap and Semarang reopened on Saturday.
“We are now evaluating the status of other airports,” spokesman Bambang Ervan said.
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.
Many are unable to return to their homes because authorities have kept a 10km exclusion zone in place around the volcano, the BBC’s Alice Budisatrijo reports from the capital, Jakarta.
