Volcanic eruption in eastern Indonesia kills ten

(Keystone-ATS) The Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, located on the island of Flores, popular with tourists, erupted several times during the night. Ash and lava were expelled from the volcano towards neighboring villages, which were forced to evacuate.

In images obtained by AFP, villages located near the mountain appear covered in a thick layer of ash and some places are on fire. Wooden houses caught fire and the ground was damaged by lava.

The eruption of the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, which peaks at 1,703 meters above sea level, began shortly before midnight on Sunday. It erupted again at 1:27 a.m. local time and 2:48 a.m., the national volcanology agency said.

Highest alert level

This raised the alert level to its highest level. She urged tourists and locals not to engage in any activities within a seven-kilometer radius of the crater. “There has been a significant increase in volcanic activity on Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki,” the organization said in a press release Monday.

Indonesia’s volcanology agency also warned of rain which could cause lava flows. She also asked residents to wear masks.

The Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano was the scene of several major eruptions in January, leading authorities to sound the alert and evacuate more than 2,000 residents. Last week, it had already erupted several times, projecting columns of ash into the sky up to 2,000 meters.

“Ring of Fire”

The vast Indonesian archipelago experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the “Pacific Ring of Fire.”

Last December, the eruption of Mount Marapi, one of the country’s most active volcanoes, in western Sumatra, killed at least 24 climbers, mainly students.

In May, more than 60 people died when heavy rains washed volcanic material into populated areas, destroying homes.

A month earlier, the Ruang volcano in northern Sulawesi province had erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents on neighboring islands to evacuate.