In Indonesia, the Laki-laki volcano erupted on the island of Flores, 9 people died.

JAKARTA: At least nine people were killed after Mount Levotobi Laki-laki erupted in eastern Indonesia on Sunday, spewing explosive columns of lava and forcing authorities to evacuate several nearby villages, officials said on Monday.

Mount Levotobi Laki Laki, located on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted at 11:57 p.m. local time (15:57 GMT) on Sunday, spewing a fiery red column of lava, volcanic ash and red-hot rocks, Hadi Vijaya , the spokesperson of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) reported this on Monday.

“After the eruption, there was a power cut, followed by rain and strong lightning, causing panic among residents,” he said. Reutersadding that the authorities have upgraded the status of the volcano to level IV or the highest.

The agency recommends a seven kilometer (4.35 mile) radius be cleared.

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

As of Monday morning, at least nine people had died, said Geronimus Lamavuran, a local official in the East Flores district, adding that the eruption had affected seven villages.

“This morning we started evacuating residents to other villages located about 20 km (13 miles) from the crater,” he said.

Nearby villages were covered in thick volcanic ash on Monday morning, Geronimus added.

Authorities are still collecting data on the number of evacuated and damaged buildings.

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

This eruption followed a series of eruptions of various volcanoes in Indonesia. In May, a volcano on the remote 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 covered several nearby areas after torrential rain on May 11 killed more than 60 people.