More than 2,000 residents were evacuated to temporary shelters amid increasing activity at Mount Lewotobi Laki in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province, a local official said on Tuesday (2/1).
The volcano has erupted several times in recent weeks, including Monday’s eruption that spewed volcanic ash 1.5 kilometers, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG). The agency noted Lewotobi Laki erupted again on Tuesday but no ash cloud was visible from the volcano, it said in a statement.
Volcanic ash from the recent eruption has impacted two sub-districts near the mountain, causing more than 2,200 residents to flee to temporary shelters set up by the local government, Benediktus Bolibapa Herin, an East Flores district official, told AFP news agency on Tuesday.
A man cleans volcanic ash from the windshield of his car after Mount Lewotobi Laki erupted in Klatanlo, East Nusa Tenggara on December 23, 2023. (Photo: AFP/Putra Tulida)
“The number of refugees in Wulanggitang (subdistrict) is 1,931 people, and in Ile Bura (subdistrict) 328 people,” said Herin. He added that the number of refugees is likely to increase as more people flee the volcanic eruption.
Authorities on Monday raised the volcano’s status to the second-highest alert level and expanded the exclusion zone from two kilometers to four kilometers around its crater.
Volcanic ash has also forced Frans Seda Airport, located more than 80 kilometers from the site, to close since Monday, Antara news agency reported.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of intense volcanic and seismic activity. Last month, Mount Merapi on the island of Sumatra erupted and killed 23 people. Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes. (y/uh)