Indonesia on high alert after volcano erupts in Lesser Sunda Islands
June 18 (UPI) -- Indonesia's Lewotobi active Laki Lai volcano spewed searing miles-high ash column into the skies over Flores island, 440 miles east of Bali, grounding flights serving the popular tourist island all across the region
The Geology Agency said the 5,197-foot volcano erupted at 5.35 p.m. local time, sending a cloud of hot ash and gases 6.8 miles above the island that is famous for its Komodo dragons and marine life and is a popular dive location.
Tourists were urged not to travel to Flores after the central government in Jakarta placed the country on its highest alert level, with residents of two villages inside a 5-mile exclusion zone around the crater of the twin volcano evacuated from their homes.
The island's Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport was closed until Thursday at the earliest.
Flights remained on the ground at Bali's Denpasar International Airport, including for domestic and regional routes as well as internationally, as far afield as India and China and Australia and New Zealand.
Budget carriers Jetstar and Scoot cancelled flights to Bali scheduled to depart Singapore's Changi Airport while AirAsia canceled at least one of its three daily flights to Jakarta.
Bali's Come2Indonesia travel operator told CNN the cancellations would impact more than 1,000 of its customers booked on trips to Bali and Komodo National Park, where Flores is located.
Laki Laki, the male of the two peaks, which is highly active -- and deadly -- had been showing signs that an eruption was imminent in recent days with many as 25 rumblings an hour, compared with an average of 8 to 10 a day normally.
A series of eruptions in November killed nine people after molten rock bombs landed on villages with more than 10,000 people forced to leave the area and caused serious travel disruption.
Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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Miami Herald
10 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Indonesia on high alert after volcano erupts in Lesser Sunda Islands
June 18 (UPI) -- Indonesia's Lewotobi active Laki Lai volcano spewed searing miles-high ash column into the skies over Flores island, 440 miles east of Bali, grounding flights serving the popular tourist island all across the region The Geology Agency said the 5,197-foot volcano erupted at 5.35 p.m. local time, sending a cloud of hot ash and gases 6.8 miles above the island that is famous for its Komodo dragons and marine life and is a popular dive location. Tourists were urged not to travel to Flores after the central government in Jakarta placed the country on its highest alert level, with residents of two villages inside a 5-mile exclusion zone around the crater of the twin volcano evacuated from their homes. The island's Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport was closed until Thursday at the earliest. Flights remained on the ground at Bali's Denpasar International Airport, including for domestic and regional routes as well as internationally, as far afield as India and China and Australia and New Zealand. Budget carriers Jetstar and Scoot cancelled flights to Bali scheduled to depart Singapore's Changi Airport while AirAsia canceled at least one of its three daily flights to Jakarta. Bali's Come2Indonesia travel operator told CNN the cancellations would impact more than 1,000 of its customers booked on trips to Bali and Komodo National Park, where Flores is located. Laki Laki, the male of the two peaks, which is highly active -- and deadly -- had been showing signs that an eruption was imminent in recent days with many as 25 rumblings an hour, compared with an average of 8 to 10 a day normally. A series of eruptions in November killed nine people after molten rock bombs landed on villages with more than 10,000 people forced to leave the area and caused serious travel disruption. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Indonesia volcano spews ash more than 6 miles into sky, dozens of Bali flights canceled
A volcanic eruption in Indonesia sent an enormous ash cloud more than six miles into the sky, disrupting or canceling dozens of flights to and from the tourist island of Bali. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted at 5:35pm local time on Tuesday, unleashing a 6.8-mile (11-kilometer) hot ash column over the tourist island of Flores in south-central Indonesia, the country's Geology Agency said. Images showed an orange mushroom-shaped cloud engulfing the nearby village of Talibura with sightings reported up to 93 miles (150km) away. Officials issued the country's highest alert and urged tourists to stay away. Dozens of flights were halted in Bali, according to Denpasar International Airport website, which marked the disruptions 'due to volcano.' They included domestic routes to Jakarta and Lombok as well as others to Australia, China, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport was closed until Thursday, 'to ensure the safety of the passengers,' airport operator AirNav said in an Instagram post. Singapore's Changi Airport website shows Jetstar and Scoot canceled flights to Bali Wednesday morning while AirAsia called off its midday flight to the Indonesian capital. Holidaymakers Athirah Rosli, 31, and her husband Fadzly Yohannes, 33, woke up this morning to discover that their Jetstar flight home from Bail to Singapore was canceled. 'My first reaction was annoyed and panicked but I calmed down almost immediately,' Rosli told CNN. 'My husband and I looked at new flights, booked more accommodation and insurance and then had breakfast at our hotel,' she said. 'I see it was a blessing in disguise that we're safe and well.' The volcano's eruption follows significant volcanic activities, including 50 in two hours, up from the average eight to 10 activities per day. The 5,197-foot (1,584-meter) twin volcano erupted again Wednesday morning, spewing a 0.62-mile (1km) ash cloud, officials confirmed. Dozens of residents in two nearby villages were evacuated, according to Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency. A danger zone is in place around five miles (8km) from the crater and residents have been warned about the potential for heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers flowing from the volcano. More than a thousand tourists have been affected, particularly those traveling to Bali and Komodo National Park, famed for its Komodo dragons, according to a local tour operator. Sales worker Remdy Doule, from Come2Indonesia travel agency in Bali, told CNN: 'We were looking at more than 1,000 tourists being affected with the cancelations.' Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki's last erupted in May when authorities also raised the alert level to the most severe. A previous eruption in March forced airlines to cancel and delay flights into Bali, around 500 miles (800km) away, including Australia's Jetstar and Qantas Airways. In November, the volcano erupted multiple times killing nine people, injuring dozens and forcing thousands to flee and flights to be canceled. Indonesian, home to 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes and experiences frequent seismic activity. The archipelago sits along the 'Ring of Fire,' a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. CNN's Haicen Yang contributed to this report.
UPI
12 hours ago
- UPI
Indonesia on high alert after volcano erupts in Lesser Sunda Islands
Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano spews out a massive ash cloud during an eruption on Tuesday on East Flores in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province. Photo courtesy Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center/EPA-EFE June 18 (UPI) -- Indonesia's Lewotobi active Laki Lai volcano spewed searing miles-high ash column into the skies over Flores island, 440 miles east of Bali, grounding flights serving the popular tourist island all across the region The Geology Agency said the 5,197-foot volcano erupted at 5.35 p.m. local time, sending a cloud of hot ash and gases 6.8 miles above the island that is famous for its Komodo dragons and marine life and is a popular dive location. Tourists were urged not to travel to Flores after the central government in Jakarta placed the country on its highest alert level, with residents of two villages inside a 5-mile exclusion zone around the crater of the twin volcano evacuated from their homes. The island's Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport was closed until Thursday at the earliest. Flights remained on the ground at Bali's Denpasar International Airport, including for domestic and regional routes as well as internationally, as far afield as India and China and Australia and New Zealand. Budget carriers Jetstar and Scoot cancelled flights to Bali scheduled to depart Singapore's Changi Airport while AirAsia canceled at least one of its three daily flights to Jakarta. Bali's Come2Indonesia travel operator told CNN the cancellations would impact more than 1,000 of its customers booked on trips to Bali and Komodo National Park, where Flores is located. Laki Laki, the male of the two peaks, which is highly active -- and deadly -- had been showing signs that an eruption was imminent in recent days with many as 25 rumblings an hour, compared with an average of 8 to 10 a day normally. A series of eruptions in November killed nine people after molten rock bombs landed on villages with more than 10,000 people forced to leave the area and caused serious travel disruption.
