JAKARTA: The Malaysian Embassy here is working on evacuating 83 Malaysians stranded in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, following the closure of Komodo International Airport after a volcano erupted.
The eruption of Mt Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, located in East Nusa Tenggara province about 500km east of Bali, created a 9km ash cloud.
Mt Lewotobi erupted at least three times on Nov 9 as local authorities widened the restricted area.
The number of those stranded, most of whom are tourists, is expected to increase following the cancellation of flights at two other airports in the nearby region – I Gusti Ngurah Rai in Bali and Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara – due to the spread of volcanic ash from the eruption.
Affected Malaysians have been urged to follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor the latest updates regarding the reopening of airspace, the embassy said in a statement, Bernama reported.
Embassy officials are continuously monitoring the status of stranded Malaysians and contacting those affected to plan alternative routes with the cooperation of the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.
For consular assistance, Malaysians can contact the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta at the address Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav.X/6, No. 1-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta 12950, by phone at +62 21 522 4947 / +62 813 8081 3036, or by email at mwjakarta@kln.gov.my.In a related development, a total of 1,668 tourists were evacuated from Labuan Bajo using 73 ships from Saturday to Tuesday, according to Indonesian Transportation Ministry spokesperson Budi Rahardjo.
“Of the five ports that serve as destinations, four are located in West Nusa Tenggara – Sape, Labuhan Lombok, Lembar and Bima – with the fifth port in Benoa, Bali,” he said in a statement.
He also said the Komodo International Airport was closed again yesterday morning, and four other airports in the region remain closed.
Several flights on the Jakarta-Bali, Jakarta-Lombok and Bali-Australia routes had also been cancelled because of safety concerns, he added.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that the volcanic ash from the eruption of Mt Lewotobi has spread as far as Lombok, almost 400km to the west.
“The volcanic ash is moving towards the west and south-west,” said Bastian Andriano, head of data analysis at BMKG West Nusa Tenggara, as quoted by the Antara news agency.
The eruption of Mt Lewotobi claimed at least 10 lives on Nov 4, prompting authorities to raise the volcanic activity warning to Level IV, the highest level.
