Mount Ibu Maluku Utara Berstatus Awas, Warga Empat Desa Dievakuasi

Residents of four villages in Tabaru District who fled, namely Goin Village, Sangaji Nyeku, Tukuwoko and Duono Village, in the Government Building of Ibu/ANTARA/Abdul Fatah District (Abdul Fatah)

TERNATE - Residents of four villages in West Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, were evacuated by joint officers to a safer location, after Mount Ibu was raised from alert to Alert or Level IV.

"Currently, four villagers have been evacuated by the West Halmahera Regency Government together with the TNI/Polri to the Ibu District Building," said Deputy Regent of West Halmahera Djufri Muhammad through the Head of the Mother's Sub-district, Warjin Soleman, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, May 17.

According to him, only four villages in Tabaru Subdistrict have fled, namely Goin Village, Sangaji Nyeku, Tukuwoko and Duono Village, at the Ibu District Government Building, because the location is considered safe.

Based on the data, he said, there were 410 people from 99 families (KK) from the four villages who were successfully evacuated in the early hours of Friday.

"The priority of evacuation by the joint team is elderly residents, pregnant women, children, and people with disabilities," he said.

Other residents, he said, chose to stay at home to protect their property, while waiting for further information from the West Halmahera Regency Government.

Earlier on Thursday (16/5), Earth Madya investigators from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Sofyan Primullyana stated that there had been 22 volcanic earthquakes and 1,744 shallow volcanic earthquakes, with a sharp increase compared to the past two days.

"We have recommended that people, visitors, or tourists, not enter the area and a radius of four kilometers from the summit, then sectorally as far as seven kilometers around the north," he said.

Even the public was also asked to wear masks and eye coverings (glasses) to avoid exposure to Mount Ibu's volcanic ash.

Head of the Emergency and Logistics Division of BPBD West Halmahera Regency, Sofyan Aswad, said that his party had deployed a team and prepared a refugee camp in Gam Ici Village to help residents affected by the eruption of Mount Ibu.

Currently, his party has distributed masks to residents affected by the eruption of Mount Ibu, although volcanic ash has little impact on residential areas, because the wind blows to the east.

"West Halmahera Regency Government has taken alert, starting from preparing tents at evacuation points and various needs for residents of victims of the eruption of Mount Ibu," he said.