Authorities raised the alert level for an eastern volcano to its highest level, widening an exclusion zone and ordering half a dozen villages to evacuate before a possible eruption.
In November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the tourist island of Flores erupted multiple times, killing nine people, cancelling scores of international flights to Bali and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
The latest emergency measures around the 1,703m twin-peaked volcano came after increased seismic and volcanic activity.
“The results of visual monitoring and seismic activity showed... a sudden increase in volcanic earthquakes,” Indonesia geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said yesterday.
“An eruption could potentially occur in the future.”
The heightened activity led to the alert level being raised to the highest of a four-tiered system starting from 3am local time, Muhammad said.
He also warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods – a type of mud or debris flow.
“People around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki should be on alert for the potential of lahar floods in rivers that originate at Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki’s peak if high-intensity rain occurs,” Muhammad said.
He later told a press conference that an exclusion zone had been widened from 5 to 6km around the crater.
“This includes six villages that must be evacuated,” Muhammad said, without specifying the number of residents there. — AFP
