Jakarta - Saba:
Indonesian authorities confirmed the evacuation of thousands of people after the eruption of Mount Ipo volcano, located on the remote Halmahera Island in North Maluku Province.
The Indonesian Geological Agency issued - in a statement - reported by the Swiss radio "Lac" today, Thursday - a high-level alert, prompting local authorities to call on residents living near the site, numbering three thousand people, to evacuate, according to the local newspaper "Jakarta Post".
As of this morning, 517 residents of the village closest to the volcano have already been evacuated, while other residents are expected to follow in the afternoon.
In turn, the spokesman for the local disaster management agency, Irfan Idris, said that "evacuation shelters have been prepared by the local administration," noting that residents living nearby and tourists have been urged to avoid the five-to-six-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano's summit and to wear masks in case of ash fall. Indonesia, a vast archipelago located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
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