Lava and flaming rocks projected onto surrounding villages: at least 10 dead after volcano eruption

Near the volcano, crops, mainly cashew nuts, were ruined by the ash that fell in large quantities.

Early this Monday, November 4, residents of the island of Flores, in the province of East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia, had no choice but to flee. Far from the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano which erupted at 11:57 p.m. local time, according to data from the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMG).

At least 10 people have died by authorities' count, after lava and flaming rocks hit villages about 4 km from the crater, burning and damaging residents' homes, the BBC reports.

The eruption is believed to have affected seven villages in eastern Indonesia.

The highest alert level was triggered and the authorities evacuated residents located within a 7 km radius of the mountain, to other villages around 20 km from the crater.

The media outlet was able to view images showing “people covered in volcanic ash, showers of rocks and houses on fire. It reports that Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has been erupting intermittently since last December, and that a warning had already been issued, warning people not to approach within 3 km.

According to our colleagues, many communities live dangerously close to volcanoes in order to cultivate fertile soils. In the country which has around 130 active volcanoes, “prolonged” volcanic activity has already seriously affected the local economy this year.

A state of emergency has been declared for the next 58 days.