[hanomantoto]

TEMPO.CO, Bandung – The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources reported the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara in the early hours of Saturday, November 9, 2024. A thick gray ash was emitted up to 9,000 meters above the summit or equivalent to 10,584 meters above sea level.

The eruption at 04:47 local time produced a burst of incandescent lava and hot clouds towards the west and northwest. It lasted 8 minutes and 30 seconds.

“Another eruption occurred, with volcanic ash and sand on a rather large scale. Hot clouds were also seen moving down the mountain. The Emergency Response Team (TD) and GA PVMBG Geological Agency observers evacuated again,” said the Geological Agency on Saturday, November 9, 2024.

Another eruption occurred at 07:16 with the ash column only at 1,000 meters above the summit or 2,584 meters above sea level. The ash column was dense and gray and tended to the west and northwest. The eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 29.6 mm and a duration of at least 1 minute 46 seconds.

At 08:50, Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted again, with an ash column height of 6,000 meters, or 7,584 meters above sea level. The eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 47.3 millimeters and a duration of at least 6 minutes 56 seconds.

Head of the Geological Agency Muhammad Wafid said a series of eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has occurred since November 7, 2024. There was a major explosive eruption on November 7 at 10:48, which produced a thick gray-brown eruption column up to 8,000 meters above the summit.

The eruption resulted in a pyroclastic flow incident. “This eruption was also followed by a Pyroclastic Flow event of approximately 3000 meters from the eruption center to the north-northeast direction,” said Wafid in his statement on Saturday, November 9, 2024.

An eruption accompanied by a pyroclastic flow incident also occurred on November 8, 2024, at 01:25 local time. The eruption produced an ash column up to 5,000 meters followed by a pyroclastic flow event that slid up to 3,000 meters from the eruption center towards the northeast.

The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on November 9, 2024, at 04:47 also produced a pyroclastic flow event that traveled 2,000 meters from the eruption center towards the northwest.

The Geological Agency noted that from November 7-9, 2024, there have been 21 eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki. The seismogram also recorded 20 times of eruption tremors, 23 Harmonic Tremors, 3 times of Shallow Volcanic Earthquakes (VB), 11 times of Deep Volcanic Earthquakes (VA), 4 times of Local Tectonic Earthquakes, 1 time of Distant Tectonic Earthquakes, and continuous tremors.

Wafid stated that based on visual and instrumental monitoring, there has been a significant increase in activity at Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, hence the mountain’s activity status is still maintained at alert Level IV.

The Geological Agency has decided to expand the danger zone area of the volcanic eruption on Saturday, November 9, 2024, starting from 06:00 WITA. “Residents around Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki and visitors/tourists are advised not to engage in any activities within a 7-kilometer radius from the eruption center and 9 kilometers for the southwest-northwest sector,” said Wafid.

The Geological Agency urges residents around Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to be vigilant about lava floods in rivers originating from the volcano’s summit in case of high-intensity rainfall. People are also advised to use nose and mouth covering masks to avoid the dangers of volcanic ash on the respiratory system.

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