JAKARTA – The Indonesian government plans to permanently relocate thousands of residents after a series of eruptions from Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano killed nine people and damaged thousands of houses, officials said.

       Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on the night of Nov 3, followed by smaller eruptions on Nov 4 and 5, and remains on the highest volcanic alert status.

       Permanent relocation is considered as “long-term mitigation measures” to anticipate similar eruption in the future, said Mr Suharyanto, the head of Indonesia’s disaster agency in a statement on Nov 6.

       The government aims to relocate all residents living within a 7km radius from the crater, he added.

       There are more than 16,000 residents living in the nearest villages from the volcano, but the government is still calculating how many residents will be permanently relocated.

       As at the morning of Nov 6, at least 2,500 people had been evacuated, East Flores regional government spokesman Heronimus Lamawuran said.

       Mr Suharyanto, without giving further details, said the government will also build houses for the relocation.

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       “The volcano cannot be moved, so it is the people who must move to safer locations,” he said.

       The local government has declared a state of emergency for the next 57 days and prohibited any activity within 7km from the crater.

       Indonesia’s volcanology agency on the night of Nov 5 raised the status of another volcano located in East Nusa Tenggara province, around 200km from Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to the second-highest level due to its “rising” volcanic activity, although no eruption was recorded as at Nov 6.

       Mr Hadi Wijaya, the spokesman for the volcanology agency, said the rising activity of Mount Iya had no correlation with eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki.

       Indonesia straddles the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity where multiple tectonic plates meet. REUTERS