One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes has erupted, sending a towering column of hot ash and smoke 10,000 meters into the sky.
Before Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located in the country’s south-central area, started releasing a massive cloud of smoke visible from 150 kilometers away, local authorities had already raised the volcanic alert to its highest level.
Officials expanded the danger zone — the area deemed unsafe due to volcanic activity — to a radius of 8 kilometers from the volcano’s crater.
Videos captured around 5:30 pm local time showed villagers watching as a mushroom-shaped ash cloud grew in the evening sky.
Local resident Frans Kino remarked that he had never witnessed such a large eruption on the mountain. “It looks like this eruption is quite large. Up there, it must be dark,” he said, indicating his home further uphill.
According to a statement from Indonesia’s Geology Agency, the volcano released a thick grey cloud reaching 10,000 meters high on Tuesday afternoon, following heightened volcanic activity. The agency recorded 50 deep volcanic tremors within two hours, a sharp increase from the usual daily count of eight to ten.
Though no casualties have been reported, residents were cautioned to remain alert for possible lava flows triggered by heavy rain in rivers flowing from the volcano.
An earlier eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in November resulted in nine fatalities and several injuries.
Named “male Lewotobi,” Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki has a twin, Lewotobi Perempuan, meaning “female Lewotobi.” Standing at 1,584 meters, the volcano is situated on Flores Island in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province. It is one of the 120 active volcanoes located along the Pacific Basin’s “Ring of Fire,” an area known for frequent seismic activity.
Indonesia, home to 270 million people, frequently experiences seismic events due to its location along this tectonic hotspot.
