Mount Ibu eruption threatens evacuation of over 3,000 residents

JAKARTA, 16 January (BelTA - ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) indicated that over three thousand people residing in West Halmahera District, North Maluku Province, may need to evacuate due to increased volcanic activity at Mount Ibu.

Speaking in Jakarta on Thursday, Head of BNPB's Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, noted that this estimate is based on a previous evacuation conducted during a similar incident in May last year.

He added that the plan is to evacuate residents of several villages in North Ibu Sub-district, such as Sangaji Nyeku and Tokuoku, which are within the volcano's eruption radius.

"In principle, we have built a sound level of coordination in West Halmahera. It is just a matter of the execution (of the evacuation)," he emphasized.

On that note, Muhari highlighted that the BNPB would maintain ongoing communication with the West Halmahera District government, the National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

The official underlined that the evacuation would follow the recommendations and guidelines of the Geological Agency of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

On Wednesday (January 15) afternoon, the Geological Agency elevated Mount Ibu's danger status to the highest level of IV due to the substantial intensification of volcanic activities detected by the agency's team during the January 1-14 period.

The agency has urged residents and tourists to avoid any activities within a five-kilometer radius of the volcano.

In response to this situation, the district government has declared a 14-day emergency response status to facilitate the execution of emergency measures.

Officers at the Mount Ibu observation post in Gam Ici village, West Halmahera, recorded an average of 70 eruptions per day this month, with eruption columns reaching heights of up to four kilometers above the volcano's summit.

Throughout this period, Mount Ibu has caused 748 eruption earthquakes, 70 avalanche earthquakes, 1,643 gust earthquakes, 6,976 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 346 deep volcanic earthquakes, and 60 local tectonic earthquakes, with a dominant amplitude of three millimeters.