At least 450 families have already been removed from the risk area
More than 30 flights from and to the Indonesian Island of Bali were canceled following the eruption of the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, which expelled a column of ashes up to 10 kilometers high, the authorities indicated today.
According to Bali International Airport, 12 international flights operated by various airlines were canceled, including calls between Bali and Singapore, Melbourne and Sidney, as well as four domestic flights. There were also 13 international flights and two domestic flights to the island, about 800 kilometers west of Flores Island, where the volcano is located.
At 1,584 meters altitude, Lewotobi Laki-Laki is still active after Tuesday’s eruption has released thick gray gray clouds to a height of 10,000 meters, forming a visible mushroom cloud over 90 kilometers away, according to Indonesia’s geology agency.
Authorities raised the alert to the maximum level (level IV) and expanded the exclusion zone to an eight -kilometer radius from the crater, alerting residents to the risk of lava flows in case of heavy rainfall. According to the same source, 50 episodes of volcanic activity were recorded in just two hours – far above the usual average of eight to ten per day.
At least 450 families have already been removed from the risk area, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). So far, there is no record of victims.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki is located in the southeast of Flores Island, in the Timur Flores District, and forms a double volcanic system with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan. It has recorded frequent activity in recent months: in March, it has expelled ashes about eight kilometers high, and in November a series of eruptions caused nine dead and dozens of injuries.
Indonesia, an archipelago with 270 million inhabitants, is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of intense seismic and volcanic activity. The country houses more than 400 volcanoes, of which 120 are active, 65 considered dangerous. In December 2023, the eruption of the Merapi volcano, on the island of Sumatra, caused 23 dead.
