Alert level raised after six deaths following volcanic eruption in Indonesia

East Flores, INDONESIA: At least six people were killed when a volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted multiple times overnight, officials said on Monday (November 4), raising the alert level to the highest in a four-level system.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located on the popular tourist island of Flores, spewed ash and lava that showered the area with fireballs, forcing authorities to evacuate several villages.

“Six deaths have been confirmed,” Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the country’s disaster management agency, told Kompas TV.

Footage obtained by AFP shows villages near the volcano covered in thick ash, with some areas on fire.

An AFP journalist near the volcano said five villages had been evacuated.

Some wooden houses caught fire and holes appeared in the ground due to melted rocks.

The agency said the crater erupted just before midnight, then again at 1:27 a.m. and 2:48 a.m. local time.

The country’s volcanology agency raised the alert level to the highest and advised residents and tourists not to carry out any activities within a 7 km radius of the crater.

“There has been a significant increase in volcanic activity at Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki,” it said in a press release on Monday.

ASH RAIN

He warned there was a risk of lava floods triggered by rain and advised residents to wear masks to avoid the effects of volcanic ash.

The mountain saw several major eruptions in January, prompting authorities at the time to raise the alert to the highest level and evacuate at least 2,000 residents.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago country, experiences frequent eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of ​​intense volcanic and seismic activity.

Last December, at least 24 climbers, most of them students, died when one of the country’s most active volcanoes, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra, erupted.

In May, more than 60 people died after heavy rains washed volcanic material from Marapi into residential areas, sweeping away homes.

This month Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province, it has erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents of nearby islands to evacuate.