TERNATE, Indonesia: Hundreds of islanders have been evacuated, with thousands more awaiting their turn following increased volcanic eruptions in eastern Indonesia, officials said on Thursday (Jan 16).
Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke up to 4km into the sky.
The volcano’s alert status was immediately raised to the highest level by Indonesia’s Geological Agency, prompting local authorities to call for the evacuation of 3,000 people living nearby.
As of Thursday morning, 517 residents from the village closest to the volcano had been evacuated, with the remaining residents scheduled to be moved later in the afternoon.
“The evacuation shelters have been prepared by the local administration, and today a thorough evacuation will be conducted for all residents in six villages,” said a spokesman of local disaster management agency, Irfan Idrus.
He added that evacuations began on Wednesday at 6pm (11am GMT) but were delayed due to administrative and logistical issues.
Rainfall since Thursday morning further hampered the process, he said.
According to an AFP reporter, residents were still carrying out their daily activities in their respective villages as trucks prepared for evacuation.
“Of course, there is some fear and concern, but we are already used to the eruptions here,” 32-year-old resident Rista Tuyu said.
“In a week, eruptions could happen three to four times, but the biggest ones occurred this week,” she said.
She added that she hoped the volcano would calm down soon so the village community could resume their daily lives.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/mount-ibu-volcano-eruption-indonesian-rescuers-evacuating-thousands-4862181
