Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted for the second time in four days on Friday, sending a column of ash 12 kilometres into the air and forcing the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents from surrounding villages on Flores island.
The eruption, which struck at 3:47 am local time, triggered a red alert across a 7-kilometre exclusion zone. Indonesia’s national disaster management agency (BNPB) said the ash plume drifted northwest toward Ende regency, disrupting air traffic across the eastern Nusa Tenggara province.
At least 14 people were treated for breathing difficulties at local hospitals, and two were in serious condition, according to BNPB spokesperson Abdul Muhari. No deaths have been reported from Friday’s eruption, though the earlier blast on Tuesday killed nine people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency raised the alert level to the highest tier, warning that further eruptions were possible within days. “The volcanic activity remains very high. We urge all residents within the exclusion zone to evacuate immediately,” the agency said in a statement.
Authorities have evacuated more than 6,000 residents from 12 villages around the crater, with emergency shelters set up in Ende and Sikka regencies. The Indonesian military has deployed transport aircraft and medical teams to assist with the evacuation.
Several airlines, including Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air, cancelled or rerouted flights to and from Flores and nearby islands. Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport issued an advisory to pilots but remained open.
The eruption comes just three days after a deadly blast at the same volcano killed nine people, including a local journalist, and injured dozens more. That eruption was one of the deadliest in Indonesia in recent years and prompted an initial evacuation of 2,500 residents.
Indonesia’s president ordered the national disaster agency to accelerate relief efforts and directed the military to provide logistical support. The government allocated 50 billion rupiah ($3.1 million) in emergency aid for affected communities.
Australia’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply concerned” and offered humanitarian assistance. The US Embassy in Jakarta urged citizens in the area to follow local authority instructions and monitor volcanic activity updates.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, a twin-peaked volcano on Flores island, has been increasingly active since November 2024. Friday’s eruption was the most powerful in the current cycle, with the ash column reaching nearly twice the height of the Tuesday blast.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has more than 120 active volcanoes. The archipelago is no stranger to volcanic disasters — the 2018 eruption of Anak Krakatau triggered a tsunami that killed more than 400 people.
Sources: BNPB Indonesia, Reuters, AP, BBC, Channel News Asia, Jakarta Post, Volcano Discovery.
Written by Kenji Tanaka, Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief
Kenji Tanaka
Kenji Tanaka covers Asia Pacific security, technology, and geopolitics from Tokyo.