Ash blankets villages as Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi erupts again; lava, gas clouds travel 5km; Bali flights disrupted
Panic gripped south-central Indonesia on Tuesday as Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted for the second consecutive day, blanketing villages in thick volcanic ash and spewing lava and rocks up to 4 km into the sky.
The early morning eruption followed two powerful blasts on Monday — a midday explosion that launched volcanic material as high as 18 km and another in the evening that sent ash soaring 13 km into the air. No casualties have been reported so far.
Residents flee as ash and lava blanket villages
More than 10,000 people across 10 villages in the East Flores and Sikka districts have been affected, according to local disaster officials. Roads and rice fields in villages such as Nawakote, Hokeng Jaya, and Pululera have turned into fields of grey sludge.
'The smell of sulphur and ash hung so thickly in the air that breathing was painful,' said Very Awales, a public information officer from Sikka district. He added that schools in affected areas have been shut since Monday.
Volcano on high alert, airports shut
Mount Lewotobi has remained at the highest alert level since June 18, with a 7-km exclusion zone in place. Authorities have distributed 50,000 masks and urged residents to stay indoors, especially with heavy rainfall expected, which could trigger dangerous lava floods.
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Drone footage showed lava filling the crater and volcanic debris including thumb-sized hot gravel being hurled up to 8 km from the summit. Avalanches of searing gas clouds, lava, and rocks travelled as far as 5 km down the slopes.
Flights disrupted, Bali operations delayed
Two regional airports in Maumere and Larantuka were shut, while several flights to and from Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport were delayed or cancelled. However, airport officials said Bali's airspace remained unaffected by the ash plume.
The eruption is being described as one of Indonesia's most powerful volcanic events since 2010, when Mount Merapi on Java island erupted, killing more than 350 people.
Nation prone to volcanic threats
Indonesia, home to over 280 million people, sits on the volatile Ring of Fire and has 120 active volcanoes. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki last erupted in November 2024, killing nine and injuring dozens.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation closely.
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