Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts and sends searing-hot ash miles high

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted twice on Monday, sending a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky, dumping ash on villages and causing flight cancellations.

No casualties were immediately reported. The volcano on Flores island has been at the highest alert level since an eruption on June 18, and an exclusion zone had been doubled to a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius as eruptions became more frequent.

Indonesia’s Geology Agency recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) down the slopes of the 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) mountain. Observations from drones showed lava filling the crater, indicating deep movement of magma that set off earthquakes.

The initial column of hot clouds that rose just after 11:00 a.m. local time (0305 GMT) was the volcano's highest since the major eruption in November 2024 that killed nine people and injured dozens, said Muhammad Wafid, the Geology Agency chief. It also erupted in March.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-045650924.html