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 distant island of Halmahera in North Maluku state, erupted on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke up to 4km into the clouds.
The supervolcano call position was instantly raised to the highest degree by Indonesia’s Geological Agency, prompting local officials to visit for the removal of 3, 000 people living nearby.
As of Thursday night, 517 people from the town closest to the mountain had been evacuated, with the remaining people scheduled to be moved later in the afternoon.
A complete removal may be conducted for all residents in six villages as a result of the evacuation shelters that have been put together by the local management, according to a spokesman of the local crisis management agency, Irfan Idrus.
He continued, noting that due to operational and logistical problems, emergency started on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ( 11 a.m. GMT ).
Precipitation since Thursday morning additionally hampered the operation, he said.
As cars prepared for departure, residents were nevertheless carrying out their daily tasks in their respective villages, according to an AFP writer.
” Of program, there is some fear and concern, but we are already used to the explosions here”, 32-year-old native Rista Tuyu said.
” In a fortnight, explosions could happen three to four times, but the biggest types occurred this week”, she said.
She continued,” I hope the volcano will calm down soon so that the village community can resume their daily lives.”