The authorities in Indonesia plan to evacuate at least 16,000 residents from villages around the active volcano Mount Leotobi Laki-Laki, whose successive eruptions have killed nine people, injured dozens and damaged thousands of homes, an official said Tuesday.

The volcano, on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Sunday night and again on Monday night. Authorities have put the region on the highest alert level due to volcanic activity.

Operations for the hasty evacuation of residents are hampered by the thick layer of volcanic ash on some roads, an official noted.

As of this stage, nearly 2,500 of the more than 16,000 residents of eight villages in the region have been displaced, Jerónimos Lamaurán, spokesman for local authorities in the East Flores region, told Reuters news agency.

The aim is for residents to leave and not return until “when it is safe for them”, he explained.

They were moved to three school buildings and temporary reception centers in communities at least 20 kilometers from the crater, he added.

“More trucks, army and police personnel” were deployed to take part in the operation, he added.

Authorities had raised the death toll to 10 yesterday, but revised it up today to nine dead and 63 injured. Some 2,384 houses have been damaged, as have 25 school buildings.

Local authorities have declared a state of emergency for another 58 days, meaning the central government is able to offer help to residents.

Four small airports on the island of Flores were shut down due to the volcanic eruption.

The vast Indonesian archipelago experiences frequent and intense volcanic and seismic activity due to its geographical location, as it is located above the so-called “ring of fire” in the Pacific Ocean, a zone where tectonic plates intersect.