The Indonesian government is working to evacuate at least 16,000 residents from villages surrounding the active Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano, an official stated on Tuesday.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, situated on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Sunday night, followed by a smaller eruption on Monday night, maintaining Indonesia’s highest volcanic alert status.
Thick volcanic ash on several roads is slowing evacuation efforts, the official noted.
As of Tuesday morning, approximately 2,472 of the targeted 16,086 residents from eight villages had been relocated, according to Heronimus Lamawuran, spokesperson for the East Flores regional government.
“We plan to temporarily evacuate the residents until it’s safe for them to return to their villages,” Heronimus told Reuters.
Evacuated residents were moved to three school buildings and temporary shelters in nearby villages roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the crater, he added.
“We deployed more trucks along with military and police personnel to assist with evacuations on Tuesday,” he said.
Authorities revised the death toll to nine from an earlier reported 10, with 63 people injured. The eruption damaged around 2,384 homes and at least 25 schools.
The local government has declared a 58-day state of emergency, enabling central government support for relief efforts. Four small airports on Flores Island have been closed due to the eruption.
Indonesia lies on the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area of intense seismic activity where multiple tectonic plates converge.