Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts again

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in eastern Indonesia on November 8 continued to spewing a 8,000-m high column of hot ash in an eruption that has lasted nearly a week.

A statement from authorities said that two eruptions with ash columns reaching heights of 4,000 metres and over 8,000 metres were recorded at around 2:00 p.m. (local time). The two eruptions were only one minute apart. Staff at the volcano monitoring station had to be evacuated after the two eruptions.

There have been no reports of damage to villages near the volcano due to the new eruption.

Since November 3, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki has been erupting strongly with both ash and lava, killing nine people. By November 7, authorities had expanded the restricted area for local residents to 8 km.

According to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, the Indonesian government planned to relocate about 16,000 residents out of the danger zone.

In January, about 6,500 people were evacuated after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki began erupting.

Authorities had to close Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport on Flores Island. Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The country frequently experiences earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions as it lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”./.

VNA