Papua New Guinea authorities have ordered the evacuation of some 5,000 people from Biem Island and surrounding islands, amid fears of a volcanic eruption, as the country’s Prime Minister directed national resources to neighbouring Kadovar island.
The Prime Minister’s office warned tremors from that volcano posed a tsunami risk to the mainland’s north coast and surrounding islands — including Biem Island and nearby Ruprup Island, where evacuees from Kadovar had been sent.
“Volcanoes are very unpredictable, we are hearing various reports that activity has been building up and we need to take all precautions to keep our people safe,” the PMs statement said.
Meanwhile, the Governor of East Sepik province, Allan Bird, said military personnel had warned of an “imminent volcanic eruption” on Biem Island. Biem Island is only around 12 kilometres west of Kadovar Island, where giant plumes of ash and cloud have forced around 700 people to be evacuated in the past week.
Mr Saunders, the Chief Geodetic Surveyor at the Rabaul Volcano Observatory, said reports of tremors on Biem Island could likely be attributed to the seismic activity on Kadovar, which remained the biggest risk for the region, rather than from the Biem volcano itself.
Photos for illustration purposes, from Pixabay-Free images
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