The Ljutopi Laki-Laki volcano on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia erupted several times on Tuesday evening, prompting authorities to issue the highest alert level ever.
The National Volcanology Agency said in a statement that the 1,584-meter-high volcano recorded its strongest eruption at dawn on Wednesday at 1:35 (17:35 GMT), as it ejected volcanic materials that reached a height of ten kilometers above its summit.
In its first eruption on Tuesday evening, the volcano ejected ash to a height of nine kilometers above the summit.
This eruption came after the Geological Agency raised the volcanic alert level to level four on Tuesday evening, the highest ever of the four warning levels in the Indonesian early warning system.
The agency’s director, Mohamed Wafid, recommended that residents and tourists alike stay at least six kilometers away from the volcano’s crater, and called on them to be careful of mud flows or debris from volcanic materials.
An expatriate also warned that “throwing ash may disrupt the operations and flight paths” of aircraft.
Operations were suspended at Maumere Airport, located 60 kilometers from the volcano and designated for domestic flights.
This volcano had previously erupted last July when it spewed a massive column of ash 18 kilometers high, which led to the cancellation of about twenty flights at the airport on the island of Bali, located about 800 kilometers to the west.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago, witnesses frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific Ocean.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news
