Three Killed as Volcano Erupts on Indonesian Island
Three people were killed and 12 hurt when Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province erupted early Monday. Authorities said the ash plume reached 10 kilometres into the sky and flight schedules to and from Bali were disrupted.
Indonesia's volcanology agency said the eruption hit at 03:47 local time, with hot gas and ash flows reaching some five kilometres down the slope. The three dead were in a village within roughly two kilometres of the boundary of the protection zone.
Authorities raised the alert level to four, the highest, and evacuated an estimated 6,000 villagers within the eight-kilometre exclusion zone. Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia and Jetstar cancelled a number of Monday flights to Bali, with passengers rerouted via Surabaya.
Lewotobi Laki-Laki is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and last erupted in November 2024 in a blast that killed nine people. Officials warned that seismic activity in the area may continue over the coming days.
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