2,000 flee as Mt. Egon erupts

2,000 flee as Mt. Egon erupts

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang

Mount Egon in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted for the second
time in months, forcing the evacuation of some 2,000 villagers
from the slopes of the volcano, officials said on Thursday.

The villagers evacuated their homes as the mountain, located
in Sikka regency, belched out rocks, sand, ash and lava.

No casualties were reported as white smoke spewed into the air
up to a height of 3,000 meters.

"It is possible there will be more eruptions that cause much
more damage. Therefore, vulcanologists recommend that the
mountain be closed off to all people," Sikka Regent Alex
Longginus said.

He said villagers were still being evacuated, with the process
being slowed by the difficulties faced by vehicles operating on
the slopes of the mountain.

The Sikka regency administration and the local Volcanology and
Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency have declared an alert
status and have ordered people away from the volcano.

Alex said Mount Egon began to erupt on Sunday, affecting
thousands of hectares of cacao, coffee, vanilla and clove
plantations.

"The government has provided emergency assistance to the
victims, including medicine and food," he said.

Volcano monitors began warning of increased volcanic activity
at Egon in January this year.

Mount Egon last erupted in July, spewing out sand, rock and
ash. Vulcanologists said the volcano belched out fumes between
500 and 700 meters high at the time.

Mount Egon is one of numerous Type B active volcanoes in
Indonesia. Its crater is 525 meters-by-425 meters in diameter,
and has a depth of between 47.5 meters and 195 meters. The
mountain stands at a height of 1,701 meters.