Manam Volcano

The Rabaul Volcanological Observatory’s (RVO) warning system was triggered yesterday at around 1.55pm.

The Real-time Seismic-Amplitude Measurement (RSAM), which is the average value of the size (amplitude) and number of guria (quakes) recorded in a specified period, triggered a warning when it exceeded 300.

The Haus Guria’s Real-time Seismic-Amplitude Measurement (RSAM) was triggered at around 12.15pm yesterday.

The eruption, from the main crater, was “marked by forceful ash cloud emissions, explosions spewing assorted lava fragments above the crater area and sub-continuous to continuous rumbling and roaring noises”.

The latest report at 11.50pm said seismicity associated with the eruption has slowly declined.

Though the eruptive activity continued with dark ash plume emissions, it was less frequent as well.

On what was to be a visit to see past EU funded projects in Bogia, the trip, organised by the International Office Of Migration (IOM), ended up seeing the transportation of over 200 people (mainly mothers, girls, children and the elderly). These are people mostly from Dugulava, Warisi, Bokure and Kuluguma, who are from high risk villages as they sit directly in the path of the anticipated lava flow.

Organisers say more than 100 households are still to be evacuated.

It means, families there will have to source their own drinking water from traditional sources like wells, many of which are contaminated.

Rudolf Mungali from the Madang Disaster office told LOOP news today “it is not possible to take fresh water to Manam Islanders because there is no means of transporting a huge number of water supplies.”

These two were casualties of the eruption at Manam island yesterday morning.

Charles Yanda at the Asurumba care Centre in Bogia told LOOP PNG, both boys  sustained injuries to their heads when the Manam volcano spewed dust and stones into the atmosphere.

The 5 year old was in Dugulava village when he was hit unconscious by a stone blown out into the sky.

His father quickly put him into a canoe and paddled for at least four hours to get to Bogia.

The teenager a student in the Baliau village was also hit on the head by a volcano stone.