by A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted overnight, killing at least six people and spewing fireballs and ash into surrounding villages, officials said Monday, raising the alert status to the highest level.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-meter-high twin volcano on the popular tourist island of Flores, first erupted shortly before midnight, forcing authorities to evacuate several villages.
“Six fatalities have been confirmed,” Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the country’s disaster management agency (BNPB), told Kompas TV.
Images received by AFP showed villages near the volcano covered in thick ash, and some areas on fire.
An AFP journalist near the volcano said five villages have been evacuated, affecting thousands of residents.
Some wooden houses caught fire and the ground was pockmarked with holes caused by flying molten rock.
The crater erupted just before midnight and then again at 1:27 a.m. (1727 GMT Sunday) and 2:48 a.m., the country’s volcanology bureau said.
It raised the alert level to the highest level and told locals and tourists not to conduct activities within a seven-kilometer radius of the crater.
“There has been a significant increase in volcanic activity on Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki,” a press release said on Monday.
Footage has been released showing the roofs of houses collapsed after being hit by volcanic rock, and locals sheltering in communal buildings.
The volcanology bureau warned there was a risk of rain-induced lava flooding and told locals to wear masks to avoid the effects of volcanic ash.
There was a series of eruptions at the volcano last week, the largest on Thursday, sending a column of ash 2,000 meters into the air.
The mountain experienced several major eruptions in January, prompting authorities at the time to raise the alert status to the highest level and evacuate at least 2,000 residents.
Indonesia, a vast archipelagic nation, experiences regular eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of intense volcanic and seismic activity.
In December last year, an eruption of one of the country’s most active volcanoes, Marapi in West Sumatra, killed at least 24 climbers, most of them university students.
And in May, more than 60 people died after heavy rains washed volcanic material from Marapi into residential areas and swept away homes.
That month, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than six times, forcing thousands of residents from nearby islands to evacuate.
AFP
