9 hours ago
Weather agency: No tsunami threat for Japan after Indonesia volcano eruption
Japan's Meteorological Agency says Japanese coasts will not see any tsunami from a large volcanic eruption in Indonesia.
The agency made the statement at 4 a.m. on Wednesday. It said no noticeable changes in tidal levels had been recorded at observation points in or outside Japan.
It said Mount Lewotobi on Flores Island erupted at around 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Japan time. That's about 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, local time. It added that the blast caused a volcanic plume that was roughly 16,000 meters high.
A major volcanic eruption can trigger a tsunami by causing changes in atmospheric pressure.
The 1,700-meter Mount Lewotobi is composed of two volcanoes, located on the eastern part of the island of Flores. One of them, Lewotobi Laki-laki, had a series of massive eruptions last November that caused casualties. It also erupted in March. In May, another eruption released fumes and volcanic ash. It is currently highly active.
Just before the latest eruption, Indonesia's volcano monitoring agency had raised the alert status for Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to the highest level, urging people to exercise extra caution.
