The eruption of the Levotobi Laki-Laki volcano, located on Flores Island, continues. Late Monday night, there were 5 more powerful explosions. During these, fiery streams were observed coming out of the crater.
"Five eruptions were recorded with ash columns ranging from 500 to 4000 meters high. The smoke was gray, with an amplitude of 44 to 47.3 mm and lasting from 43 to 180 seconds," reported Herman Yosef Mboro, an officer at the Levotobi Laki-Laki volcano observation post.
The volcano, standing at 1584 meters above sea level, has released lava flows in two directions: northeast reaching up to 4340 meters, and northwest up to 3800 meters from the eruption center.
The activity was accompanied by a loud roaring sound that was audible from the observation post in Pululera village, Wulanggitang district. The current status of the volcano is Level IV (Alert), the highest danger level.
Herman Yosef Mboro urged local residents and tourists to stay at least 6 kilometers away from the eruption epicenter. They are advised "not to panic, remain calm, follow local authorities' instructions, and not to believe unverified information."
There is also a risk of mudflows (lahars) in case of heavy rain, especially in areas where rivers originate at the volcano's base. At-risk areas include Dulipali, Padang Pasir, Nobo, Nurablen, Klantal, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, and Navakote.
Those caught in the fallout zone of volcanic ash are advised to use masks or other respiratory protection.
Levotobi Laki-Laki began erupting on Sunday. The first ash columns were captured on photographs from the monitoring center after noon. The ash rose up to 5.5 kilometers.
"Based on visual analysis and our experts' forecasts, the volcano's activity level was raised from III (Watch) to IV (Alert)," said the head of Indonesia's volcanology agency, Muhammad Wafid.
At present, there are no reports of evacuations or flight cancellations.
In November 2024, an eruption of this volcano led to the deaths of nine people and disrupted flights to Bali.
The Levotobi Laki-Laki volcano is part of the twin volcano Levotobi, which comprises two peaks: Levotobi Laki-Laki (1584 m) and Levotobi Perempuan (1703 m). It is among the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, a country situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequently occur.
Sources: detik, CNN Indonesia
You can add one right now!