Mount Ile Lewotolok In Lembata Erupts, Volcanic Ash As High As 500 Meters

Doc. The view of Mount Ile Lewotolok is still active. BETWEEN/Kornelis Kaha

The Volcano Observation Post in Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, reported that on Friday (1/12) night at 20.12 WITA, Mount Ile Lewotolok experienced an eruption.

"There has just been an eruption with a height of ash columns being observed reaching approximately 500 meters above the top of the mountain," said Mount Api Monitoring Post Observation Officer, Ara Kian, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, December 1.

If calculated from sea level, the height of the ash column reaches approximately 1,923 meters.

Visually, said Stanis, the ash column was observed to be gray with an intensity leaning towards the northwest. The eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 34.1 millimeters with a duration of approximately 50 seconds.

"If it's a bang, the number is weak," he said.

Currently, the status of Mount IleLewotolok is at Level II (alert).

Communities around mountains and visitors, climbers, tourists are asked not to carry out activities within a two-kilometer radius of the center of mountain activity.

People in three villages that are right at the foot of the mountain are Lamawolo, Lamatokan, and Jontona to always be aware of the potential threat of danger from avalanches/longsoran of lava and hot clouds.

Then the people who live around the valleys/rivers head up at the top of Mount IleLewotolok to always be aware of the potential for lava threats that can occur, especially during the rainy season like today.