Volcanic ash blasts 18km high as Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts again
More frequent eruptions in recent months have led Indonesian authorities to raise the alert level and safety warnings for nearby villages
Indonesia’s rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted again on Monday, sending a column of volcanic materials as high as 18km (11 miles) into the sky and depositing ash on villages.
Indonesia’s Geology Agency said in a statement that it recorded the volcano unleashing an avalanche of searing gas clouds down its slopes during the eruption. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
“An eruption of that size certainly carries a higher potential for danger, including its impact on aviation,” Wafid said from Switzerland, where he was attending a seminar. “We shall re-evaluate to enlarge its danger zone that must be cleared of villagers and tourist activities.”
By Monday afternoon, at least 24 flights serving between Bali and Australia, Singapore and South Korea were cancelled, and many others delayed, while flights on four domestic routes were cancelled, said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, spokesperson for Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport. Domestic flights from Bali to Labuan Bajo were also cancelled.