Remembering the 1979 Eruption of Mount Hobalt and the Tsunami in Lembata: Nearly a Thousand Lives Lost

Mount Hobalt, an active underwater volcano located in the Atadei District, southern Lembata Island in East Nusa Tenggara, is known for its dangerous eruptions. Its eruption in 1979, accompanied by a tsunami, claimed the lives of nearly a thousand people and submerged coastal villages.

The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) records that Mount Hobalt erupted in 1976, 1979, 1983, and 2013, with the most devastating eruption occurring on July 21, 1979. 

Before the disaster, Peter Rohi, a reporter for Sinar Harapan, had warned in his article that Waiteba, the capital of Atadei, could be submerged if Mount Hobalt erupted.

Peter had witnessed numerous fish, including sharks, washed up on the shores, likely killed by the heat from the volcano. He warned the authorities about the impending eruption, but his caution was dismissed. 

Local government officials even told the residents to ignore the journalist's concerns. "Don't worry, just continue your work as usual. It's just a journalist's story," Peter recalled them saying.

Tragically, just days later, Mount Hobalt erupted, triggering a tsunami that reached up to 50 meters in height, sweeping along the coastline. Waiteba was swallowed by the sea.

 The East Nusa Tenggara provincial government recorded 539 fatalities, 364 missing persons, and 470 injured. A total of 903 lives were lost.

Peter's warning had come from a source in East Flores who had noticed signs of an eruption, coupled with information from a relative working at PVMBG in Bandung. Without hesitation, Peter chartered a boat from Larantuka to Lembata. 

Upon arrival, he traveled on foot to Lewoleba, the capital of Lembata, where he stayed the night. The next day, accompanied by a local, he continued his journey to Waiteba, traversing difficult terrain, and reached the village at midnight.

 While photographing Waiteba from a hilltop the following day, a sudden earthquake struck, causing the ground to collapse beneath him.

"I was thrown among the rocks but managed to survive. My goal was ahead—there was a major story, lives to be saved," Peter recalled.

Jonathan Lassa, from the Institute of NTT Studies, described how the tsunami inundated nearly the entire bay area, stretching 12 kilometers long and 500-600 meters wide. Debris lodged in lontar palm trees reached a height of about seven meters.

The event involved three tsunami waves, followed by landslides. After the eruption, the tip of Mount Hobalt vanished beneath the sea, and it remains an underwater volcano to this day.