INDONESIA’S LAKI-LAKI VOLCANO ERUPTS, LEAVING 10 DEAD AND THOUSANDS DISPLACED

Mon 04 November 2024:

A volcanic eruption on Indonesia’s Flores island killed at least 10 people, local media reported Sunday.

The eruption occurred on Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, said the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency. Lava flows reached a nearby village, destroying several buildings, including a monastery.

Officials confirmed that a nun is among the dead while one person remains missing. The region has experienced a series of eruptions over the past week. In response, authorities raised the alert level for Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki to its highest point. Since last week, the volcano has been releasing thick brown ash columns as high as two kilometers (1.24 miles) into the sky each day.

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Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the country’s disaster mitigation agency BNPB, confirmed the death toll at a news conference, adding that 10,295 people had been affected by the eruptions. He said the number of evacuees was still being calculated.

The country’s volcanology agency increased the volcano’s alert status to the highest level and more than doubled the exclusion zone to a 7km (4.3-mile) radius as eruptions became more frequent.

The agency said at least 10,000 people were affected by the eruption in Wulanggitang district in the six nearby villages of Pululera, Nawokote, Hokeng Jaya, Klatanlo, Boru and Boru Kedang.

Residents described their horror when the crater started to shoot flaming rocks at their homes.

“I was asleep when suddenly the bed shook twice, as if someone had slammed it. Then I realised the volcano had erupted, so I ran outside,” hairdresser Hermanus Mite told the AFP news agency.

“I saw flames coming out and immediately fled. There were ashes and stones everywhere. My salon also caught fire and everything inside was lost,” the 32-year-old added.

An AFP journalist near the volcano said five villages were evacuated, forcing thousands of people to seek shelter elsewhere.

Some wooden homes caught fire, and the ground was pockmarked with holes caused by flying molten rocks. The volcanology agency warned there was a potential for rain-induced lava floods and told locals to wear masks to protect against volcanic ash.

Indonesia, located along the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” has 130 active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most seismically active countries.

There were eruptions at the volcano last week, the biggest on Thursday, sending a column of ash 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) into the sky.

The mountain had several major eruptions in January, prompting authorities to evacuate at least 2,000 residents.

In December last year, an eruption at one of the country’s most active volcanoes, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra, killed at least 24 climbers, most of them university students.

And in May, more than 60 people died after heavy rains washed volcanic material from Marapi into residential areas, sweeping away homes. That month, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents of nearby islands to evacuate.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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