Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, erupted again, accompanied by strong vibrations on Sunday night, November 3, 2024. Nine people were reportedly killed in the incident.
“The latest update is that nine people died and have been evacuated by BPBD and related parties,” said East Flores Head of Communications and Information Herry Lamawuran when contacted from Kupang, NTT, Monday, November 4, 2024, as reported by Antara.
The eruption, accompanied by material in the form of boulders, resulted in casualties and damage to houses and a number of dormitories for monks and nuns in Hokeng and Klatanlo villages, which are located right under the foot of the mountain.
Herry admitted that he had not received the latest information about the damage to houses and buildings.
Previously, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) raised the status of Lewotobi volcano from level III alert to level IV alert on November 3, 2024, at 12 p.m.
According to reports from BPBD East Flores, the disaster affected seven villages, including Klatanlo Village, Hokeng Jaya, Nawokote, Boru, Boru Kedang, and Pululera Village in Wulanggitang District and Dulipali in Ile Bura District.
Residents have also been evacuated to three villages, namely Konga, Lewolaga and Bokang villages in Titehena Sub-district. Tents have also been set up to accommodate the evacuees.
The danger zone of Mount Lewotobi is 7 km away
The boundary of the danger zone for community activities is a seven-kilometer radius from the summit of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, whose status was announced to increase from level III to level IV (Alert).
Officers of the Geological Agency’s Volcano Observation Post in Pululera Village, Walanggitang District, found a pile of lava material in the northeast, whose movement is very slow. The Sentinel 2 satellite image also shows material that has the potential to become lava in the north and east areas of the crater of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki.
Communities within a radius of seven kilometers or closer, should also be aware of the potential for cold lava flooding in rivers that have their headwaters at the top of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, if there is high intensity rain, especially in the areas of Dulipali, Padang Pasir and Nobo villages.
Evacuation camps have been prepared for 10 thousand eruption victims
Officials have prepared several evacuation centres to accommodate at least 10,295 victims who were reportedly affected by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
Of the total number of victims, 207 families or 816 people were affected by the eruption from Dulipali, Nobo, Nurabelen, and Riang Rita villages in the Ile Bura sub-district. Victims from Dulipali Village are currently being evacuated to the evacuation site in the school building in Lewolaga Village.
