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The expansion of the exclusion zone and the evacuation order come after an increase in activity at the volcano, which peaks at an altitude of 1,703 m.
“The results of visual monitoring and seismic activity showed… a sudden increase in earthquakes of volcanic origin,” Indonesian Geological Agency director Muhammad Wafid said in a statement on Thursday, adding that “an eruption could occur in the future.”
“Residents around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki should be on alert for the risk of landslides and flooding in rivers that originate at the summit of the volcano in the event of heavy rainfall,” he added.
An exclusion zone has been extended from five to six kilometres around the crater, he added, indicating that this concerns six villages, without specifying the number of inhabitants.
Laki-Laki, which means ‘man’ in Indonesian, is twinned with another, quieter volcano bearing the Indonesian word for ‘woman’. The vast Indonesian archipelago experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’./ATS
