Rescuers have prepared for evacuation near Mount Karangetang volcano in North Sulawesi province in case the volcano spewed more hot lava, a senior official said on Tuesday, February 5.
Amirruddin, the Head of Search and Rescue Office for Manado said that over 110 villagers from five villages have been evacuated so far as hot lava and volcanic rocks slid downward to the villages.
“Now about 30 of our personnel are at the scene, helping evacuate the people. We have deployed two rubber boats and two other boats,” he said. His office is monitoring the situation, including the spread of hot lava.
“When the level of danger is declared as an emergency, we will immediately move with the ships, and with all of our strength rescue the people through sea,” he said, referring to the coastal villages.
According to the Search and Rescue Office, five villages in Siau Barat sub-district of Sitaro district are vulnerable to the flows of hot lava and rains of volcanic ash.
The National Disaster Management Agency said hot lava and volcanic rocks have slid down from Mount Karangetan volcano, only 300m away from villages, and 200m from a road, spokesman of the agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Volcanologists raised the alert status of Mount Karangetan to the second highest on December 21, 2018, after the volcano erupted.
Source: Straits Times