January 27, 2026 | 11:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two natural phenomena occurred within a day in Yogyakarta. Mount Merapi on the border of Yogyakarta and Magelang Regency emitted pyroclastic flows at 04:13 p.m. local time on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Prior to this, the city was also hit by two tectonic earthquakes, in the morning at 08:20 a.m. and later in the day at 01:15 p.m.
"The pyrocrastic flows this afternoon maximum slide distance of 1,000 meters, heading southwest or upstream of Kali Boyong. The wind blows to the east," said the Head of the Research and Development Center for Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) Yogyakarta, Agus Budi Santoso, shortly after the incident.
When the earthquake struck, the personnel at the Mount Merapi Observation Post in Babadan-Magelang did not record any surge in volcanic activity. Mount Merapi, which is currently on alert level III, was initially normal, both in terms of seismic monitoring parameters and in terms of mountain deformation data covering four regencies in DIY and Central Java.
Three hours after the latest earthquake, Mount Merapi ejected pyroclastic flows while at the same time, the mountaintop was being showered with heavy rain with an intensity of 23 millimeters per hour. Agus confirmed that his team is currently investigating the connection between the pyroclastic flows from Mount Merapi and the earlier consecutive earthquakes.
Mount Merapi also ejected pyroclastic flows on Sunday afternoon, with a maximum slide distance of 1,500 meters, following a heavy rain.
The Head of the Yogyakarta BMKG Geophysics Station, Ardhianto Septiadhi, stated that the earthquake in Yogyakarta this afternoon had a magnitude of 4.5, originating 16 kilometers east of Bantul Regency, at a depth of 11 kilometers.
"The tremor was shallow, triggered by Opak Fault activity," said Ardhianto.
He mentioned that the earthquake was felt in Bantul, Gunung Kidul, Kulonprogo, Sleman, Yogyakarta City, Klaten with a III MMI intensity scale. Meanwhile, people in Wonogiri, Purworejo, Trenggalek, Solo, Pacitan, and Magelang felt the earthquake with a II MMI intensity. Until 01:45 p.m., BMKG recorded a total of 14 aftershocks, with the largest magnitude being 2.
Read: Mount Semeru Spews Pyroclastic Flows and Lava Floods
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