Latest news with #MountLewotobi
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes near Indonesia
A large earthquake in the Banda Sea has sent shockwaves as far as Darwin and left locals rattled. The magnitude 6.7 earthquake happened near the Tanimbar Islands region of Indonesia at 3.19pm on Monday. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, on the island of Flores, erupted twice in two months on June 17 and again on July 7. Both eruptions caused dozens of international flights to be delayed or cancelled after plumes of ash shot as high as 17km into the sky.
Sky News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Sky News
Flights cancelled and breathing made 'painful' as ash cloud forms after Indonesian volcano erupts
Breathing has become "painful" for people in Indonesia after a large lava and ash cloud formed as a volcano erupted, causing flights to be cancelled, schools to close and sending people running for shelter amid difficult driving conditions. Thick volcanic ash covered roads and rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as lava and ash clouds were sent up to 4km (2.4 miles) as Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki on Flores Island erupted for the second day running, at dawn local time on Tuesday. Debris was recorded as going up to 18km (11 miles) 13km (eight miles) into the air when the eruptions began at around noon on Monday. Local people were told to limit time spent outdoors as roads and green rice fields became grey thick mud and rocks and schools in the affected areas had been closed since Monday, public information official Very Awales said. "The smell of sulfur and ash hung so thickly in the air that breathing was painful," he said. No injuries or deaths were reported, but pictures and videos posted on social media showed people running for their lives under the rain of ash and gravel, and car and motorbike drivers struggling in reduced visibility caused by the large mushroom-shaped ash cloud Monday's eruption created. 0:42 Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki has been at the highest alert level since 18 June when a no-go zone around it was expanded to 7km (4.3 miles), Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson said. More than 10,000 people in 10 villages in East Flores and Sikka districts have been affected, according to initial assessments by the local disaster management agency. Airports in the cities of Maumere and Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara province were still closed on Tuesday, Mr Muhari said, and dozens of flights to and from the Ngurah Rai International Airport on the resort island of Bali were delayed or cancelled. Nine people died and dozens more were injured after the volcano erupted in November. In 2010, more than 350 people were killed and hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes after Mount Merapi, the country's most volatile volcano, erupted on the densely populated island of Java. Indonesia, which has 120 active volcanoes, sits along the so-called Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Basin.
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Residents wear masks as volcanic ash blankets villages near erupting Indonesian volcano
MAUMERE, Indonesia: Residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash that blanketed roads and green rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted Tuesday for a second straight day. The eruption at dawn sent lava and clouds of ash up to 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) high. That followed an eruption around midday Monday that sent a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky and an evening burst that spewed lava and send volcanic ash as high as 13 kilometers (8 miles) into the air. Photos and videos circulating on social media showed terrified residents ran for their lives under the rain of ash and gravel and motorists struggled to drive motorbikes and cars in the reduced visibility as the ash clouds from Monday's eruption expanded into a mushroom shape. No casualties have been reported from the latest eruptions of the volcano that has been at the highest alert level since June 18 when its no-go zone was expanded to a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson. 'People around the volcano have increasingly understood how to minimize the impact of disaster risks as eruptions became more frequent since the end of 2023,' Muhari said in a statement. The eruptions of the volcano on Flores Island affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages in East Flores and Sikka districts, according to initial assessments by the local disaster management agency. Thick volcanic ash and rocks were reported to have fallen in villages of Nawakote, Klantanio, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, Pululera and Wulanggitang, where roads and green rice fields were transformed into grey thick mud and rocks, said Very Awales, a public information official at Sikka district administration, adding that schools were closed in those affected areas since Monday to protect students and staff from various hazards due to volcanic activities. 'The smell of sulfur and ash hung so thickly in the air that breathing was painful,' Awales said. Authorities distributed 50,000 masks and urged residents to limit outdoor activities to protect themselves from volcanic materials. Residents were also urged to be vigilant about heavy rainfall that could trigger lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano. The eruption of Lewotobi Laki Laki followed its eruption in November 2024 that killed nine people and injured dozens. The Geology Agency recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) down the slopes of the 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) mountain Monday. Observations from drones showed lava filling the crater, indicating deep movement of magma that set off volcanic earthquakes. Volcanic materials, including hot thumb-size gravel, were thrown up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater. Muhari said two airports in the cities of Maumere and Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara province remained closed Tuesday. Dozens of flights to and from the Ngurah Rai international airport on the resort island of Bali were delayed or canceled, but airport spokesperson Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said the airport was running normally despite the cancelations, as monitoring showed the volcanic ash had not affected Bali's airspace. Monday's initial eruption of Lewotobi Laki Laki was one of Indonesia's largest since 2010 when Mount Merapi, the country's most volatile volcano, erupted on the densely populated island of Java. That killed 353 people and forced over 350,000 people to evacuate. Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the 'Ring of Fire,' a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
Washington Post
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Residents wear masks as volcanic ash blankets villages near erupting Indonesian volcano
MAUMERE, Indonesia — Residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash that blanketed roads and green rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted Tuesday for a second straight day. The eruption at dawn sent lava and clouds of ash up to 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) high. That followed an eruption around midday Monday that sent a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky and an evening burst that spewed lava and send volcanic ash as high as 13 kilometers (8 miles) into the air.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Indonesian volcano spews massive ash cloud as it erupts again
Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has begun erupting again - at one point shooting an ash cloud 18km (11mi) into the sky - as residents flee their homes once more. There have been no reports of casualties since Monday morning, when the volcano on the island of Flores began spewing ash and lava again. Authorities have placed it on the highest alert level since an earlier round of eruptions three weeks ago. At least 24 flights to and from the neighbouring resort island of Bali were cancelled on Monday, though some flights had resumed by Tuesday morning. The initial column of hot clouds that rose at 11:05 (03:05 GMT) Monday was the volcano's highest since November, said geology agency chief Muhammad Wafid. "An eruption of that size certainly carries a higher potential for danger, including its impact on aviation," Wafid told The Associated Press. Monday's eruption, which was accompanied by a thunderous roar, led authorities to enlarge the exclusion zone to a 7km radius from the central vent. They also warned of potential lahar floods - a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials - if heavy rain occurs. The twin-peaked volcano erupted again at 19:30 on Monday, sending ash clouds and lava up to 13km into the air. It erupted a third time at 05:53 on Tuesday at a reduced intensity. Videos shared overnight show glowing red lava spurting from the volcano's peaks as residents get into cars and buses to flee. More than 4,000 people have been evacuated from the area so far, according to the local disaster management agency. Residents who have stayed put are facing a shortage of water, food and masks, local authorities say. "As the eruption continues, with several secondary explosions and ash clouds drifting westward and northward, the affected communities who have not been relocated... require focused emergency response efforts," say Paulus Sony Sang Tukan, who leads the Pululera village, about 8km from Lewotobi Laki-laki. "Water is still available, but there's concern about its cleanliness and whether it has been contaminated, since our entire area was blanketed in thick volcanic ash during yesterday's [eruptions]," he said. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes. Lewotobi Laki-laki has erupted multiple times this year - no casualties have been reported so far. However, an eruption last November killed at least ten people and forced thousands to flee. Laki-Laki, which means "man" in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703m named Perempuan, the Indonesian word for "woman". Additional reporting by Eliazar Ballo in Kupang.
