JAKARTA, Jan. 12 – A total of 5,464 people were displaced due to increasing volcanic activities at Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Thursday.
“Those displaced including 575 elderly, 312 children, 76 toddlers, 118 breastfeeding mothers, 23 pregnant women, and 12 people with disabilities,” said the agency’s spokesperson Abdul Muhari.
Military and police opened public kitchens at evacuation points to meet the food needs of the displaced.
Activities of Lewotobi have increased since Jan. 1, triggering the authorities to implement a natural disaster alert until Jan. 14.
The danger level has risen from the third to its highest fourth level since Jan. 9 when the volcano erupted, throwing a column of ash up to 1,500 meters high.
Authorities asked people not to enter dangerous zones within a 4-km radius of the peak.
