TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

More residents flee Mt. Agung to Lombok by boat

Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post)
Mataram
Sun, October 1, 2017

Share This Article

Change Size

More residents flee Mt. Agung to Lombok by boat A farmer walks home after watering crops in Dawa Kaja village in Kubu, Karangasem, Bali, on Friday. Authorities say volcanic activity of Mount Agung (seen in the background) is still high but many residents refuse to be evacuated. (The Jakarta Post/Zul Trio Anggono)

S

ome 25 people from seven families of Tumbu village in Karangasem, Bali, have fled the island using a wooden boat to the neighboring island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), in fear of the imminent eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem.

As of Sunday, a total of 315 people from 97 families have arrived in Lombok, according to the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) NTB.

“We had to flee using wooden boats because we couldn’t afford to buy tickets, while the rumors of eruption were concerning us,” said Muhidin, 42, a Karangasem resident who traveled to Lombok with his wife and three children.

Residents of Tumbu village in Karangasem, Bali, gather in Meninting village in Batulayar district, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Saturday. They fled their homes in Bali using wooden boats to the neighboring island of Lombok in fear of eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem.
Residents of Tumbu village in Karangasem, Bali, gather in Meninting village in Batulayar district, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Saturday. They fled their homes in Bali using wooden boats to the neighboring island of Lombok in fear of eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem. (The Jakarta Post/Panca Nugraha)

The four-hour journey by sea was provided for free by the boat’s owner, according to another evacuee Siti Amanah.

Their boat reached the shore of Senggigi village in West Lombok on Friday. They sheltered at one of the evacuees’ relatives in Meninting village in Batulayar district, West Lombok.

Read also: Mt. Agung evacuees outside danger zone told to go home

Muhidin said they had previously been evacuated to the SDN 2 Tumbu elementary school since the alert status for Mount Agung was increased to the highest level last week.

“There has been circulating information that we received on our cellphones. We became anxious and afraid. We fled just in case the eruption really happened,” said Siti who traveled to Lombok with her two children.

BPBD NTB head Mohammad Rum said even though there were no official shelters in Lombok, authorities were still providing humanitarian assistance to them. (bbs)

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.