Levotobi Laki-laki volcano erupts in Indonesia, 10 dead – SABC News

At least 10 people were killed after Mount Levotobi Laki Laki erupted in eastern Indonesia around midnight Sunday, spewing explosive columns of lava and forcing authorities to evacuate several nearby villages, officials said Monday.

Mount Levotobi Laki-laki, located on the island of Flores, erupted on Sunday at 11:57 p.m., spewing a fiery red column of lava, volcanic ash and burning rocks, Hadi Vijaya, spokesman for the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG). , said on Monday.

“After the eruption, there was a power outage, and then there was it

rain and strong lightning, causing panic among residents,” he told Reuters, adding that authorities had raised the volcano’s status to the highest level of danger.

The agency said a radius of seven kilometers from the crater should be cleared.

Lava and rocks hit nearby settlements about four kilometers from the crater, burning and damaging residents’ homes, Hadi said.

At least 10 people had died as of Monday afternoon, local official Geronimus Lamavuran said, adding that the eruption had affected seven villages.

“As of this morning, we began evacuating residents to other villages located approximately 20 kilometers from the crater,” he said.

Images released by the authorities show the evening sky over the volcano turned red by the eruption, while footage shows some wooden houses burning and masked residents being evacuated.

Thick volcanic ash covered roads and buildings in one of the villages, other footage showed.

Indonesia’s emergency agency warned of potential flash floods and cold lava flows in the coming days, agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said.

According to Abdul, the local government has declared a state of emergency for the next 58 days, meaning the central government can help provide aid to the 10,000 affected residents.

Authorities are still collecting data on the number of evacuees.

He added that the nearest airport, located in the city of Maumere, was temporarily closed.

Indonesia is located on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area of ​​high seismic activity at the top of several tectonic plates.

This eruption follows a series of eruptions.

In May, a volcano on the island of Halmahera, Mount Ibu, caused the evacuation of seven villages.

In May, the Ruang volcano in North Sulawesi also erupted, forcing authorities to evacuate more than 12,000 people.

Flash floods and a cold lava flow from Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province killed more than 60 people in May.