Thousands evacuated following Indonesia volcano eruption
More than 2,000 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters amid heightened volcanic activities in a volcano in eastern Indonesia, a local official said on Tuesday (Jan 2).
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Nusa Tenggara province has erupted several times in recent weeks, including an eruption on Monday that spewed volcanic ash 1.5 km above its peak, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).
The agency recorded another eruption from Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Tuesday but ash clouds from the volcano were not observed, it said in a statement.
Volcanic ashes from recent eruptions have affected two sub-districts near Lewotobi Laki-Laki mountain, prompting more than 2,200 residents to evacuate to temporary shelters set up by local governments, Benediktus Bolibapa Herin, an official for East Flores district, told AFP on Tuesday.
“There are 1,931 evacuees in the Wulanggitang (sub-district), and 328 evacuees in the Ile Bura (sub-district),” Herin said, adding that the number of the evacuees could rise as more people seek safety from the volcano.
“Due to the increase in (Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki’s) status, the communities must be relocated to safe zones to anticipate unwanted things.”
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Asean Business
Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies.
Authorities on Monday raised the volcano’s status to the second-highest of Indonesia’s four-tiered alert levels and expanded the exclusion zone from two km to four km around its crater.
The volcano’s ashes also forced Frans Seda Airport, located more than 80 km away, to close since Monday, state news agency Antara reported.
The South-east Asian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense volcanic and seismic activity.
Last month, Mount Marapi, which means “mountain of fire”, on Sumatra island erupted and 23 people were killed.
Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes. AFP
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
Majority of Japanese firms says weak yen hurts profits: survey
Investors still flocking to Vietnam despite political upheaval
China rebound gets more lopsided as factories hum, shoppers lag
Crypto boom, erratic rain spark outages in Laos, Asia’s clean power export hub
China’s first special bond sale likely to see solid demand
IMF knocks Biden’s China tariffs as risk to US, world growth