Can any one tell me the meaning of this sentence?

Question

Wittenoom , once the home for 4000 people is now virtually deserted.

Answer 1

It is missing a comma after the word people.
If that were in place the sentence would be about a town named Wittenoom. That town had a population of 4000 people in the past. At the present time most have left the town and very few are left.

Answer 2

They mean that relative to the original population, the 50 that are left make it "almost" deserted. That's what happens when you have a place dedicated to asbestos mining.

Answer 3

Wittenoom, (a place), is now empty. 4,000 people used to live in it, but not any longer.