Indonesia: Thousands evacuated as volcano erupts
Thousands of Indonesians have been forced to flee as Mount Ili Lewotolok pumps ash and noxious gas into the air. The volcano is one of three to erupt recently, prompting panic among local residents.
Indonesia's Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted on Sunday sending 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of ash and smoke up into the air and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, the country's Disaster Mitigation Agency said.
More than 2,700 people were evacuated from 28 villages on the slopes of the volcano, which is located on the eastern island of Lembata in the East Nusa Tenggara province.
Read more: Volcanic eruptions can cool the planet
Muhammad Ilhan, a 17-year-old who saw the eruption, told Reuters that local residents were "panicked and they're still looking for refuge an in need of money right now."
Despite the panic among locals, there were no reports of deaths or injuries following the eruption.
Threat level raised
The local airport closed as ash continued to fall across parts of the island. The Transportation Ministry also issued a flight warning for the region.
Authorities from the country's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center raised the level of alert in the area from three to four — the second-highest — and recommended the use of masks in order to protect the eyes and skin from the damaging effects of the ash.
They also warned residents to stay 4 kilometers away from the volcanic crater as the area was likely inundated with "hot clouds, lava stream, lava avalanche, and poisonous gas."
'Ring of fire'
The 5,423 meter Mount Ili Lewotolok is the third volcano to erupt in recent months following the Merapi volcano on the island of Java and the Sinabung volcano on Sumatra.
Indonesia has 400 volcanoes across its 17,000 islands. There are 129 active volcanoes, of which some 65 are classified as dangerous.
The archipelago nation lies on the so-called "Ring of Fire" — a series of volcanoes and fault lines along the rim of the Pacific Ocean.
ab/rs (AP, EFE, Reuters)
Thousands of Indonesians have been forced to flee as Mount Ili Lewotolok pumps ash and noxious gas into the air. The volcano is one of three to erupt recently, prompting panic among local residents.
Indonesia's Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted on Sunday sending 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of ash and smoke up into the air and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, the country's Disaster Mitigation Agency said.
More than 2,700 people were evacuated from 28 villages on the slopes of the volcano, which is located on the eastern island of Lembata in the East Nusa Tenggara province.
Read more: Volcanic eruptions can cool the planet
Muhammad Ilhan, a 17-year-old who saw the eruption, told Reuters that local residents were "panicked and they're still looking for refuge an in need of money right now."
Despite the panic among locals, there were no reports of deaths or injuries following the eruption.
Threat level raised
The local airport closed as ash continued to fall across parts of the island. The Transportation Ministry also issued a flight warning for the region.
Authorities from the country's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center raised the level of alert in the area from three to four — the second-highest — and recommended the use of masks in order to protect the eyes and skin from the damaging effects of the ash.
They also warned residents to stay 4 kilometers away from the volcanic crater as the area was likely inundated with "hot clouds, lava stream, lava avalanche, and poisonous gas."
'Ring of fire'
The 5,423 meter Mount Ili Lewotolok is the third volcano to erupt in recent months following the Merapi volcano on the island of Java and the Sinabung volcano on Sumatra.
Indonesia has 400 volcanoes across its 17,000 islands. There are 129 active volcanoes, of which some 65 are classified as dangerous.
The archipelago nation lies on the so-called "Ring of Fire" — a series of volcanoes and fault lines along the rim of the Pacific Ocean.
ab/rs (AP, EFE, Reuters)
Issued on: 30/11/2020 -
Thousands have evacuated after Indonesia's Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted Sunday JOY CHRISTIAN AFP
Jakarta (AFP)
Thousands have fled the scene of a rumbling Indonesian volcano that burst to life for the first time in several years, belching a massive column of smoke and ash, the disaster agency said Monday.
The evacuation of more than 4,400 residents came as Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted Sunday, spouting a thick tower of debris four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky, triggering a flight warning and the closure of a local airport.
The crater's last major eruption was in 2017.
There were no reports of injuries or damage from the eruption in a remote part of the Southeast Asian archipelago.
But authorities advised residents to wear masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash spouting from the crater in East Nusa Tenggara -- the southernmost province of Indonesia -- and to be alert for possible lava flows.
"To minimise the health impact from volcanic ash, it is recommended that people wear a mask or other equipment to protect their eyes and skin," National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Raditya Jati said.
A two-kilometre no-go zone around the crater was also expanded to four kilometres after Sunday's eruption, while flights were advised to steer clear of the area as volcanic ash rained down on the local Wunopitu airport, which was temporarily closed.
In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide that unleashed a tsunami which killed more than 400 people.
Jakarta (AFP)
Thousands have fled the scene of a rumbling Indonesian volcano that burst to life for the first time in several years, belching a massive column of smoke and ash, the disaster agency said Monday.
The evacuation of more than 4,400 residents came as Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted Sunday, spouting a thick tower of debris four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky, triggering a flight warning and the closure of a local airport.
The crater's last major eruption was in 2017.
There were no reports of injuries or damage from the eruption in a remote part of the Southeast Asian archipelago.
But authorities advised residents to wear masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash spouting from the crater in East Nusa Tenggara -- the southernmost province of Indonesia -- and to be alert for possible lava flows.
"To minimise the health impact from volcanic ash, it is recommended that people wear a mask or other equipment to protect their eyes and skin," National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Raditya Jati said.
A two-kilometre no-go zone around the crater was also expanded to four kilometres after Sunday's eruption, while flights were advised to steer clear of the area as volcanic ash rained down on the local Wunopitu airport, which was temporarily closed.
In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands erupted, causing an underwater landslide that unleashed a tsunami which killed more than 400 people.
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