Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts, sending searing-hot ash 11 miles high and causing flight cancellations

The rumble of Indonesia Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki Expected twice on Monday, sending a column of volcanic materials up to 11 miles in the sky, pouring ashes on the villages and causing dozens of flight cancellations.

No victim was immediately reported. The volcano on the island of Flores has been at the highest alert in an eruption on June 18, and an exclusion area was doubled at a radius of 4.3 miles as eruptions have become more frequent.

The geology agency of Indonesia has recorded an avalanche of burning gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 3 miles on the mountain slopes of 5197 feet. Drone’s observations have shown that the lava filling the crater, indicating a deep movement of the magma that has triggered earthquakes.

The initial column of hot clouds that increased just after 11:00 am, the local time (0305 ​​GMT) was the highest in the volcano from a Major eruption in November 2024 This killed nine people and injured dozens, said Muhammad Wafid, the chief of the geology agency. He also broke out in March.

“An eruption of this size certainly has a higher potential of danger, including its impact on aviation,” Wafid told the Associated Press. “We are going to reassess to enlarge its danger zone which must be rid of villagers and tourism activities.”

In a press release, Wafid urged the public and tourists to stay at least four kilometers from the eruption, stay calm and follow the local government instructions.

“The public is invited not to believe information from unclear sources,” said Wafid. “In addition, people around areas subject to disasters should be aware of the lava flood potential in the event of heavy rain.”.

The volcano broke out again after 7:30 p.m. (1100 GMT), spitting lava and sending clouds of ashes up to 8 miles in the air, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Friendigation.

Monday afternoon, at least 24 flights between Bali and Australia, Singapore and South Korea were canceled and many others were delayed. Fours on four interior roads have been canceled, said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, spokesperson for Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport.

He said the airport was operating normally despite the cancellations, as surveillance has shown that volcanic ashes had not affected Bali airspace.

“Several airlines serving the roads to Labuan Bajo (on Flores), Australia, Singapore and South Korea have confirmed cancellations and delays,” he said in a statement.

He said airlines included Virgin Australia, Jetstar Airways and Airasia Indonesia.

The Australian jetstar said that several flights had been canceled “due to volcanic ashes caused by a Mont Lewotobi eruption”.

The ashes that fall after the initial eruption have covered several villages with debris and blocked sunlight for almost half an hour, said Hadi Wijaya, head of the center of volcanology and geological attenuation of disasters, in a statement.

He said volcanic materials, including gravel and ash fragments, were thrown 5 km from the crater. He warned residents to be vigilant strong precipitation that could trigger lava flows in rivers from the volcano.

Photos and videos broadcast on social networks have shown that the ash cloud extended into a form of mushrooms while tons of volcanic debris covered with houses to their roofs in neighboring villages. Some residents have been in panic in the rain of volcanic materials or run away with motorcycles and cars.

Monday eruptions are the result of the energy accumulation due to a blocking of magma in the crater, which reduced detectable seismic activity while strengthening the pressure, Wijaya said.

The initial eruption was one of the most important in Indonesia since 2010, when Mount Merapi, the country’s most volatile volcano, broke out on the densely populated island of Java. It killed 353 people and forced more than 350,000 people to evacuate.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanoes and is located along “Ring of Fire”, a series of seismic straw -shaped lines surrounding the Pacific basin.

Agency France-Press contributed to this report.