Dozens leave Japan islands after nearly 1,600 quakes
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Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Bali flights nixed after huge Indonesia volcano eruption
JAKARTA: Dozens of flights to and from Indonesia's Bali island were canceled Monday after a volcano belched a colossal ash tower 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky, authorities said. The aviation disruption came just weeks after the same rumbling volcano caused dozens of flight cancelations to and from the popular resort island. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 11:05 am (0305 GMT), the volcanology agency said. 'An eruption of Lewotobi Laki-Laki Volcano occurred... with the observed ash column height reaching approximately 18,000 m above the summit,' the agency said in a statement. It forced the cancelation of 24 flights at Bali's international airport, general manager Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said. 'Several airlines serving the routes to Labuan Bajo (on Flores), Australia, Singapore, and South Korea have confirmed cancelations and delays,' he said in a statement. He said the airlines included Virgin Australia, Jetstar Airways and AirAsia Indonesia. Despite some carriers canceling flights, the airport manager said 'the spread of volcanic ash has not affected the Bali airspace.' Australia's Jetstar said several flights were canceled 'due to volcanic ash caused by an eruption of Mount Lewotobi.' The volcanology agency warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods — a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials — if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near rivers. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties. The activity level at the volcano was 'very high, marked by explosive eruptions and continuous tremors,' geology agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement. He also urged residents to stay at least six kilometers (3.7 miles) away from the volcano and to wear face masks to protect themselves from ash. Last month dozens of flights to and from Bali were canceled after the volcano erupted. Ash rained down on several communities around the volcano and forced the evacuation of at least one village. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancelation of scores of international flights to Bali. Laki-Laki, which means man in Indonesian, stands at 1,584 meters (5,197 feet) and is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703-meter volcano named Perempuan, after the Indonesian word for woman. Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire.'
Arab News
13 hours ago
- Arab News
Indonesia volcano spews 18-kilometer ash tower: agency
JAKARTA: A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted, spewing a colossal ash tower 18 kilometers into the sky on Monday, authorities said, just weeks after it caused dozens of flight cancelations to and from the popular resort island of Bali. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584-meter-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 11:05 a.m. local time (0305 GMT), the volcanology agency said in a statement. 'An eruption of Lewotobi Laki-Laki Volcano occurred... with the observed ash column height reaching approximately 18,000 m above the summit,' the agency said. It warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods – a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials – if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near rivers. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties. Last month dozens of flights to and from Bali were canceled after the volcano erupted. Volcanic ash rained down on several communities around the volcano and forced the evacuation of at least one village. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancelation of scores of international flights to Bali. There were no immediate reports of canceled flights after Monday's eruption. Laki-Laki, which means man in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) volcano named Perempuan, after the Indonesian word for woman. Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire.'
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Dozens leave Japan islands after 1,600 earthquakes
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 quakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said Monday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a 5.1-magnitude quake that struck overnight, said Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. But the almost non-stop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 have evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another island nearby, Kubo told a news conference. The municipality, which comprises seven inhabited and five uninhabited islands, is roughly 11 hours away on a ferry from Kagoshima. Since June 21, the area has experienced as of early Monday what seismologists refer to as a swarm of 1,582 quakes. Experts have said they believe an underwater volcano and flows of magma might be the cause. They say they cannot predict how long the tremors will continue. 'We cannot foresee what might happen in the future. We cannot see when this will end,' mayor Kubo told reporters. A similar period of intense seismic activity in the area occurred in September 2023, when 346 earthquakes were recorded, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, typically experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes. Some foreign tourists have held off coming to Japan due to unfounded fears fanned by social media that a major quake was imminent. Causing particular concern was a manga comic reissued in 2021 which predicted a major disaster on July 5, 2025 -- which did not happen.
