https://www.scmp.com/rss/325329/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Holly Chik Holly Chik Deep-sea animals in the Pacific Ring of Fire off Japan are rapidly growing and adapting, scientists observed in crewed submersible dives. Creatures in the deep, dark ocean have evolved diverse strategies to survive, adapting to varying depths and nutrient availability. The team from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology published their findings gleaned from studies in the Ring of Fire – a Pacific belt that contains hundreds of active and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3330216/biologists-discover-ring-fire-creatures-have-array-deep-sea-survival-mechanisms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3330216/biologists-discover-ring-fire-creatures-have-array-deep-sea-survival-mechanisms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:00:10 +0000 Marco Ferrarese Marco Ferrarese The dinghy glides across the 100 metres that separate the islands of Banda Neira and Banda Api, and moors under the flanks of the cone-shaped Gunung Api, “fire mountain” in Bahasa Indonesia. My boatman, a small, scrawny fellow named Ambon, points at the beginning of the trail to the summit. The path is as clear as the morning sky, glowing after a night of non-stop rain. Back across the channel, on the southwestern corner of Banda Neira, guest house verandas line the shore by the town’s main... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3329789/volcanic-views-and-forgotten-graves-indonesias-banda-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3329789/volcanic-views-and-forgotten-graves-indonesias-banda-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Ian Lloyd Neubauer Ian Lloyd Neubauer It’s about the same size as neighbouring Bali, with the same lush green jungles, terraced rice paddies, palm-fringed beaches, volcanoes with lake-filled craters and rich indigenous culture. But unlike Bali, it’s not overburdened by traffic and tourists. Add islets and atolls that wouldn’t look out of place in the Maldives, reefs brimming with turtles, world-class surf breaks and an expanding selection of sophisticated places in which to eat, drink and stay, and you’ll begin to see why Lombok... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328908/insiders-guide-indonesias-lombok-worthy-new-bali-volcanic-craters-and-horse-drawn-carts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3328908/insiders-guide-indonesias-lombok-worthy-new-bali-volcanic-craters-and-horse-drawn-carts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:09 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk As Mount Fuji looms tranquilly over Tokyo’s skyline, city officials are racing to prepare for a disaster that has not struck in more than three centuries – but could happen “at any time”. For the first time, authorities in Japan’s capital have mapped out exactly how they would evacuate millions if the dormant volcano awakens, in an overhaul of the city’s disaster playbook. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s new volcano disaster prevention plan outlines which roads will be cleared first and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3324715/japan-fears-inevitable-mount-fuji-eruption-spur-tokyo-map-out-disaster-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3324715/japan-fears-inevitable-mount-fuji-eruption-spur-tokyo-map-out-disaster-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 06:07:30 +0000 Cameron Dueck Cameron Dueck The colours dazzle under the midday sun, even through squinting eyes. Aqua blue sea, sparkling and dancing with the waves, a bright baby blue where the sea floor turns to sand, a deeper marine hue where the water deepens. The sea tears itself into dashes of foam along the shore, surprising me as the white rears up and falls with a whoosh right next to my wheels. Then the volcanic basalt, jagged and hot as it absorbs the sun’s rays, stretches clean and black as far as the eye can see. Finally,... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323297/cycling-around-jeju-volcanic-south-korean-isle-rock-wind-and-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3323297/cycling-around-jeju-volcanic-south-korean-isle-rock-wind-and-women?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Tokyo shrouded in midday darkness, trains derailed, roofs collapsing under volcanic ash: this is the vision Japan’s Cabinet Office laid before the public this week in a chilling simulation of a catastrophic eruption of Mount Fuji. The dramatic computer-generated film, unveiled on Tuesday to mark Volcano Disaster Prevention Day, is the first of its kind issued by the government. Officials say it is designed to sharpen public awareness of the risks posed by the 111 volcanoes that the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323181/japan-warns-public-catastrophic-mount-fuji-eruption-alarmist-simulation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323181/japan-warns-public-catastrophic-mount-fuji-eruption-alarmist-simulation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A volcano erupted for the first time in 475 years in Russia’s eastern Kamchatka region, the nation’s emergency authority said on Sunday, days after one of the strongest earthquakes on record hit the region. Pictures released by Russian state media show a towering plume of ash spewing from the Krasheninnikov volcano, which last erupted in 1550, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program. The plume is estimated to have reached an altitude of 6,000 metres (19,700 feet),... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3320579/russian-volcano-erupts-first-time-475-years-likely-triggered-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3320579/russian-volcano-erupts-first-time-475-years-likely-triggered-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 05:15:00 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupted for a second straight day, sending a column of volcanic materials and ash up to 18km (11 miles) into the sky early Saturday and blanketing villages with debris. No casualties were immediately reported. Another eruption Friday evening had sent clouds of ash up to 10km (6.2 miles) high and had lit up the night sky with glowing lava and bolts of lightning. The two eruptions happened in a span of less than five... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320525/indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-erupts-again-within-5-hours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320525/indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-erupts-again-within-5-hours?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 04:39:14 +0000 Ian Lloyd Neubauer Ian Lloyd Neubauer “The Bone Healer can fix anything but a broken heart.” I whisper this to myself over and over as I crawl through the narrow, traffic-choked carriageways that fan out from downtown Denpasar. It takes an hour’s drive to clear Bali’s capital and reach an east-coast highway, where I pick up speed before detouring up a winding road to Besakih. Set in the western foothills of the Mount Agung volcano, the village is home to the Besakih Great Temple, the largest religious site on the Indonesian island.... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318754/trip-bone-healer-and-different-side-bali?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3318754/trip-bone-healer-and-different-side-bali?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 06:00:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters A volcano erupted on Wednesday in southwest Iceland, authorities said, with live media images showing it belching smoke and dramatic flows of glowing hot yellow and orange lava, the latest in a series of outbreaks near the capital in recent years. Often referred to as a land of ice and fire, the North Atlantic island nation with its many glaciers and volcanoes has now experienced a dozen eruptions since geological systems on its Reykjanes peninsula reactivated in 2021. A previous eruption... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318406/new-volcanic-eruption-jolts-icelands-reykjanes-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3318406/new-volcanic-eruption-jolts-icelands-reykjanes-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:02:32 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press 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. The column of hot clouds that rose into the sky was the volcano’s highest since the major eruption in November... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317202/volcanic-ash-blasts-18km-high-indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-erupts-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317202/volcanic-ash-blasts-18km-high-indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-erupts-again?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 06:03:36 +0000 Nicole Cheah Nicole Cheah A manga novel’s prediction has fuelled rumours that a mega-earthquake will hit Japan on Saturday. Social media posts claiming that disaster will strike on Saturday have attracted millions of views and even dampened tourism, according to some reports. Fans claim the same manga foretold the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which claimed the lives of nearly 20,000 people. Why are people concerned about a prophecy from a graphic novel, and how prepared is Japan for a major... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3316900/japans-manga-megaquake-prophecy-likely-be-fulfilled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3316900/japans-manga-megaquake-prophecy-likely-be-fulfilled?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 03:12:07 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk The death of a Brazilian woman who fell while climbing a volcano in Indonesia has renewed scrutiny of safety standards at the country’s adventure tourism hotspots, amid a string of recent accidents involving foreign visitors. Juliana Marins, 26, fell some 600 metres (1,968 feet) while attempting to summit Mount Rinjani, a volcano on Lombok island, on Saturday. Her body was only recovered four days later after rescue efforts were hampered by dense fog, steep cliffs and unstable terrain. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315976/mount-rinjani-tragedy-puts-spotlight-indonesias-adventure-tourism-safety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315976/mount-rinjani-tragedy-puts-spotlight-indonesias-adventure-tourism-safety?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:40:31 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A swarm of earthquakes around Japan’s remote Tokara Islands and the eruption of a long-dormant volcano in Kyushu have renewed public anxiety – stoked in part by a manga artist whose work is widely believed to have foretold a 2011 disaster and who has now predicted another major calamity striking Japan in early July. Seismologists and officials have dismissed any suggestion of a link between the recent activity and the prediction, stressing that there is no scientific basis for forecasting the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315795/quake-swarm-and-volcano-eruption-japan-reignite-fears-linked-viral-manga-prediction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315795/quake-swarm-and-volcano-eruption-japan-reignite-fears-linked-viral-manga-prediction?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A young Brazilian hiker who fell hundreds of metres from the ridge of a towering Indonesian volcano and was trapped there for almost four days has been found dead. For days, millions of people in Brazil had watched, posted and prayed as rescuers tried to locate her. The tourist, 26-year-old Juliana Marins, began summiting Mount Rinjani, an active 3,726-metre (12,224-foot) volcano on the Indonesian island of Lombok, on Saturday with a guide and five other foreigners when she fell some 600 metres... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3315722/brazilian-tourist-dies-volcano-indonesia-body-found-after-4-day-search?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3315722/brazilian-tourist-dies-volcano-indonesia-body-found-after-4-day-search?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jun 2025 03:36:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Dozens of flights to and from Indonesia’s resort island of Bali were cancelled on Wednesday, according to authorities and the island’s airport, after a volcano in the archipelago’s east erupted, shooting an ash tower 10km (6 miles) into the sky. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584-metre (5,197-foot) volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted on Tuesday, with authorities raising its alert status to the highest level of a four-tiered system. “Due to volcanic activity of Lewatobi Laki-Laki in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3314845/singapore-china-india-airlines-cancel-bali-flights-after-volcano-erupts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3314845/singapore-china-india-airlines-cancel-bali-flights-after-volcano-erupts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jun 2025 01:42:30 +0000 Reuters Reuters Indonesia has raised the alert level of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to the highest after the volcano erupted eight times over the weekend. Lewotobi Laki-laki, located on Flores island in eastern Indonesia, spewed volcanic ash between 3km to 5.5km (1.86 miles to 3.4 miles) high on Sunday, Muhammad Wafid, head of the country’s volcanology agency, said in a statement late on Sunday. “Our analysis showed that the activities of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki are still high so we raised the status level... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3310999/indonesia-high-alert-after-volcano-erupts-8-times-1-weekend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3310999/indonesia-high-alert-after-volcano-erupts-8-times-1-weekend?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 May 2025 02:34:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters A restive volcano in the central Philippines spewed a column of ash as high as 4.5km (2.8 miles) into the sky on Monday morning, prompting authorities to raise the alert level at Mount Bulusan and warn residents to stay out of a 4km danger zone. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised Bulusan’s alert status from 0 to 1 on its five-level scale, signalling low-level volcanic unrest and warning of possible phreatic eruptions. Before the eruption, which occurred... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3308136/philippines-bulusan-volcano-erupts-spewing-ash-45km-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3308136/philippines-bulusan-volcano-erupts-spewing-ash-45km-high?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Apr 2025 03:13:53 +0000 A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early on Tuesday morning, sending a plume of ash 4km (2.5 miles) into the sky and forcing authorities to close nearby schools. Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, erupted in December, prompting the evacuation of surrounding villages. The area around the volcano on the island of Negros was still under evacuation orders when Tuesday’s eruption occurred. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3305588/philippines-kanlaon-volcano-erupts-spewing-ash-4km-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3305588/philippines-kanlaon-volcano-erupts-spewing-ash-4km-high?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:24:49 +0000 A volcano erupted to the south of Iceland’s capital on Tuesday, spewing lava and smoke in a fiery display of orange and red that triggered the evacuation of tourists and residents, although air traffic continued as normal. Referred to as a land of ice and fire for its many glaciers and volcanoes, the North Atlantic island nation has now seen 11 eruptions south of Reykjavik since 2021, when dormant geological systems reactivated after some 800 years. “Warning: An eruption has begun,” the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3304778/volcano-erupts-near-icelands-blue-lagoon-triggering-evacuations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3304778/volcano-erupts-near-icelands-blue-lagoon-triggering-evacuations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Apr 2025 10:26:25 +0000 Japan has released a report detailing countermeasures to be taken if Mount Fuji were to erupt and release vast amounts of volcanic ash across the east of the country, including Tokyo. While there were no signs of imminent volcanic activity, scientists said an eruption could still be “a major disaster” – even with a response plan in place. The report, based on a study conducted by experts and released by the government on Friday, estimates that a major eruption of Japan’s most iconic peak could... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3303706/what-happens-if-mount-fuji-erupts-japan-lays-out-major-disaster-action-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3303706/what-happens-if-mount-fuji-erupts-japan-lays-out-major-disaster-action-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2025 01:00:19 +0000 At least seven international flights from Indonesia’s resort island Bali have been cancelled, an airport official said on Friday, after a volcano in the archipelago nation’s east erupted, shooting dark ash eight kilometres into the sky. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted for 11 minutes and nine seconds late on Thursday, authorities said, raising the volcano’s alert status to the highest level. As of 9.45am (local... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303260/indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-volcano-erupts-grounding-bali-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303260/indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-volcano-erupts-grounding-bali-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Mar 2025 03:34:25 +0000 Guatemalan authorities evacuated around 1,000 people Monday after Central America’s most active volcano erupted, spewing lava, ash and rocks. By night, however, the eruption was declared over, and evacuees were allowed to begin returning to their homes. Residents with traumatic memories of a deadly eruption in 2018 sought refuge early Monday after Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) exploded spectacularly 35km (22 miles) from the capital Guatemala City. “We heard the rumblings and then a strong... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3301855/residents-evacuated-guatemalas-fuego-volcano-erupts-spewing-lava-ash-and-rocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3301855/residents-evacuated-guatemalas-fuego-volcano-erupts-spewing-lava-ash-and-rocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Mar 2025 21:05:53 +0000 It was a surprising discovery when scientists examining the remains of a man who died in bed in the ancient city of Herculaneum after Italy’s Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79 found dark fragments resembling obsidian inside his skull. It turns out the eruption had somehow turned his brain into glass. It is the only case on record of such a phenomenon, and researchers now have answers for why and how it happened. They say the vitrification – transformation into glass – of this victim’s brain was the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3300451/mount-vesuvius-eruption-turned-mans-brain-glass-heres-how-it-happened?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3300451/mount-vesuvius-eruption-turned-mans-brain-glass-heres-how-it-happened?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 20:13:26 +0000 A series of earthquakes near the Greek island of Santorini have led authorities to shut down schools, dispatch rescue teams with sniffer dogs and send instructions to residents including a request to drain their swimming pools. Even though earthquake experts say the more than 200 tremors that have hit the area since early on Friday are not related to the volcano in Santorini, which once produced one of the biggest eruptions in human history, locals are on edge. The strongest earthquake recorded... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3297096/multiple-earthquakes-near-greek-island-santorini-shut-schools-and-put-residents-edge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3297096/multiple-earthquakes-near-greek-island-santorini-shut-schools-and-put-residents-edge?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Feb 2025 17:33:01 +0000 A volcano in eastern Indonesia has erupted at least a thousand times this month, according to an official report, as efforts were under way to evacuate thousands of villagers living near the rumbling mountain. Mount Ibu, on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, sent a column of smoke up to four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky in an eruption on Wednesday. Indonesian officials raised its alert status to the highest level and called for the evacuation of 3,000 people living... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3295409/indonesias-relentless-mount-ibu-erupts-1000-times-month-displacing-thousands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3295409/indonesias-relentless-mount-ibu-erupts-1000-times-month-displacing-thousands?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:36:37 +0000 Lava began bubbling on Monday through the crust of one of the world’s most active volcanoes – Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island. The eruption was confined to the volcano’s summit caldera, in a remote, closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory reported. Increased earthquake activity began at about 2am local time and within about half an hour webcam images began to show lava emerging through fissures in the caldera or spurting in fountains. The most immediate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3292085/one-worlds-most-active-volcanoes-hawaiis-kilauea-erupting-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3292085/one-worlds-most-active-volcanoes-hawaiis-kilauea-erupting-again?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:24:41 +0000 A plume of hot ash and gases up to three kilometres (1.8 miles) high forced residents to seek shelter after a volcano in the Philippines erupted on Monday. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the latest explosion of Mount Kanlaon, on central Negros Island, but authorities shut schools and imposed a nighttime curfew after several villages were hit by ashfalls that clouded the visibility of motorists and sparked health concerns. “It sounded like a cannon,” said Mayor Jose Chubasco... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3290059/philippines-mount-kanlaon-erupts-sending-hundreds-shelters-homes-blanketed-ash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3290059/philippines-mount-kanlaon-erupts-sending-hundreds-shelters-homes-blanketed-ash?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:03:37 +0000 Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula volcano has erupted anew, creating a lava-spewing fissure around 3km long and prompting warnings of gas emissions across parts of the peninsula including in the nearby town of Grindavík. This latest eruption, which began on November 20th, is sending a lava flow towards the famous Blue Lagoon spa tourist attraction and marks the tenth volcanic event in the region in just three years. These photos were first published as an SCMP gallery on November 25,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3288962/seventh-eruption-year-iceland-volcano-stunning-pictures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3288962/seventh-eruption-year-iceland-volcano-stunning-pictures?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2024 09:25:07 +0000 Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore cancelled flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower miles into the sky. At least 16 international routes were affected after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a 9km (5.6-mile) tower a day earlier, the general manager of Bali’s international airport said in a statement. Flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, India, Australia, Malaysia,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3286373/airlines-hong-kong-singapore-malaysia-cancel-bali-flights-due-volcanic-eruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3286373/airlines-hong-kong-singapore-malaysia-cancel-bali-flights-due-volcanic-eruption?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Nov 2024 07:31:06 +0000 Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano spewed towering columns of hot ash high into the air on Saturday, days after a huge eruption killed nine people and injured dozens of others. Activity at the volcano on the remote island of Flores, in East Nusa Tenggara province, has increased since Monday’s initial eruption. On Thursday, authorities expanded the danger zone as the volcano erupted again. Friday’s activity saw the largest column of ash so far, recorded at 10 kilometres high, Hadi... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3285898/indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-spews-ash-days-after-deadly-eruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3285898/indonesias-mount-lewotobi-laki-laki-spews-ash-days-after-deadly-eruption?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Nov 2024 10:16:13 +0000 Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said on Monday that at least 10 people have died as a series of volcanic eruptions widens on the remote island of Flores. The eruption at Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki around midnight spewed thick brownish ash as high as 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) into the air and hot ashes hit several villages, burning down houses including a convent of Catholic nuns, said Firman Yosef, an official at the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki monitoring post. He said volcanic... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3285045/volcano-erupts-eastern-indonesia-killing-9?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3285045/volcano-erupts-eastern-indonesia-killing-9?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2024 02:44:25 +0000 Japan’s Mount Fuji remained snowless as of Monday – the latest date that its majestic slopes have been bare since records began 130 years ago, the weather agency said. The volcano’s snowcap begins forming on October 2 on average, and last year snow was first detected there on October 5. But because of warm weather, this year no snowfall has yet been observed on Japan’s highest mountain, said Yutaka Katsuta, a forecaster at Kofu Local Meteorological Office. That marks the latest date since... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3284277/japans-mount-fuji-stays-snowcap-free-longer-ever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3284277/japans-mount-fuji-stays-snowcap-free-longer-ever?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2024 05:41:07 +0000 One of Russia’s most active volcanoes has erupted, spewing plumes of ash 5km (3 miles) into the sky over the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula and briefly triggering a “code red” warning for aircraft. The Shiveluch volcano began sputtering soon after a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off Kamchatka’s east coast early on Sunday, according to vulcanologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences. They warned that another, even more potent earthquake may be on the way. The academy’s Institute... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3274960/volcano-erupts-after-earthquake-russias-far-east-scientists-warn-stronger-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3274960/volcano-erupts-after-earthquake-russias-far-east-scientists-warn-stronger-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Aug 2024 17:27:00 +0000 Mount Fuji’s summer climbing season began on Monday with new crowd control measures to combat overtourism on the Japanese volcano’s most popular trail. An entry fee of 2,000 yen (US$13) plus an optional donation is being charged for those taking on the Yoshida Trail, and numbers are capped at 4,000 per day. Online reservations have also been introduced this year by authorities concerned about safety and environmental damage on Japan’s highest mountain. “I really like the idea because if you... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3268693/japan-mount-fuji-hiking-season-begins-new-crowd-control-measures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3268693/japan-mount-fuji-hiking-season-begins-new-crowd-control-measures?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jul 2024 06:00:57 +0000 Philippine authorities ordered the evacuation of residents living near a volcano in central Philippines on Tuesday following an eruption that sent a 5km (3 miles) high ash cloud into the sky. Government officials warned of the possibility of further eruptions of Kanlaon volcano, hazardous ash fall and sulphuric odour. They also warned that rivers downstream from the volcano were at risk of flash floods, mudflows and other hazards. “Go down to your respective evacuation centres, be vigilant,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3265263/philippine-volcano-erupts-spews-ash-5km-high-sparking-evacuation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3265263/philippine-volcano-erupts-spews-ash-5km-high-sparking-evacuation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 01:18:39 +0000 A volcano in southwestern Iceland sent glowing hot lava shooting 50 metres into the air on Wednesday, its fifth eruption since December, shortly after an eight-week-long eruption on the same Reykjanes peninsula came to an end. Authorities had warned of the risk of renewed volcanic activity in the area just south of the capital Reykjavik as studies showed magma accumulated underground. “The lava fountains reach 50 metres (164 feet) high and the length of the fissure seems to be around 2.5km and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3264611/iceland-volcano-erupts-again-fifth-time-december?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3264611/iceland-volcano-erupts-again-fifth-time-december?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2024 13:30:44 +0000 A volcano on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera has spectacularly erupted, spewing a grey ash cloud into the sky, and people from seven nearby villages have been evacuated, authorities said on Sunday. Mount Ibu erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash 4km (2.5 miles) high, as streaks of purple lightning flashed around its crater, according to information and images shared by Indonesia’s volcanology agency. A joint team comprised of police, military and search and rescue officials was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3263259/indonesias-mt-ibu-erupts-forces-seven-villages-evacuate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3263259/indonesias-mt-ibu-erupts-forces-seven-villages-evacuate?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 May 2024 09:23:52 +0000 An online booking system for Mount Fuji’s most popular trail was announced on Monday by Japanese authorities trying to fight overtourism on the active volcano. Japan’s highest mountain has become increasingly crowded during the summer hiking season, raising concerns over safety and environmental damage. To ease congestion on the Yoshida Trail, the preferred route for most hikers, the Yamanashi region is planning to cap daily entries to 4,000 people, who will be charged US$13 each. To address... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3262576/mount-fuji-charge-us13-cap-daily-climbers-4000-people-yoshida-trail-help-online-booking-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3262576/mount-fuji-charge-us13-cap-daily-climbers-4000-people-yoshida-trail-help-online-booking-system?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 May 2024 04:15:11 +0000 Indonesia’s Ibu volcano erupted on Monday morning, spewing thick columns of grey ash several kilometres into the sky, the country’s volcanology agency said. The volcano on the remote island of Halmahera erupted at 9.12am for about five minutes, projecting ash into the sky as high as 5km (3.1 miles), officials said. A smaller eruption was also recorded on Friday. The alert status of the volcano remains at the second-highest level, Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3262451/indonesias-mount-ibu-erupts-spewing-ash-clouds-high-sky?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3262451/indonesias-mount-ibu-erupts-spewing-ash-clouds-high-sky?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2024 06:40:04 +0000 Indonesia will permanently relocate the entire population of an island in North Sulawesi province because a volcano is threatening their safety. Mount Ruang erupted spectacularly last month and has been spewing ash that forced nearby airports to close and flights to be cancelled. Ruang Island’s population of around 10,000 people is being moved to Bolaang Mongondow on the island of North Sulawesi about 40 kilometres away, Tempo newspaper reported, citing Minister of Public Works and Housing... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3261772/mount-ruang-eruption-indonesia-permanently-relocates-10000-north-sulawesi-citizens-over-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3261772/mount-ruang-eruption-indonesia-permanently-relocates-10000-north-sulawesi-citizens-over-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2024 12:02:26 +0000 Indonesian rescuers raced to evacuate thousands of people on Thursday after a volcano erupted five times, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport and issue a warning about falling debris that could cause a tsunami. The crater of Mount Ruang flamed with lava against a backdrop of lightning bolts overnight after erupting four times on Wednesday, forcing authorities to raise its alert level to the highest of a four-tiered system. The volcano in Indonesia’s outermost region was still billowing... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3259431/mount-ruang-eruption-indonesia-evacuates-thousands-closes-airport-near-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3259431/mount-ruang-eruption-indonesia-evacuates-thousands-closes-airport-near-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2024 04:50:52 +0000 A black-walled dining hall with 2,000-year-old paintings inspired by the Trojan War has been discovered during excavations at the Roman city of Pompeii, authorities said on Thursday. The size of the room – about 15 metres long and 6 metres wide – the quality of the frescoes and mosaics from the time of Emperor Augustus, and the choice of characters suggest it was used for banquets, Pompeii Archaeological Park said. “The walls were painted black to prevent the smoke from the oil lamps being seen... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3258712/dining-hall-trojan-war-artworks-uncovered-pompeii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3258712/dining-hall-trojan-war-artworks-uncovered-pompeii?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Apr 2024 20:01:13 +0000 Lava from a new volcanic fissure on an Icelandic peninsula, the fourth eruption to hit the area since December, steadily advanced on Sunday, but the eruption’s intensity had decreased, authorities said. Icelandic police declared a state of emergency shortly after the eruption at 8.23pm local time on Saturday. The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said response workers were monitoring the lava’s advance, “which has been slow and steady since” Sunday morning. It said that the lava was some 200 metres... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3255722/lava-iceland-volcano-advances-fourth-eruption-december?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3255722/lava-iceland-volcano-advances-fourth-eruption-december?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2024 19:53:50 +0000 A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on Thursday for the third time since December, sending jets of lava up to 50 metres into the sky and triggering the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon spa and cutting heat and hot water to thousands of people. This is the sixth eruption on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula since 2021. The eruption began at about 6am local time along a 3km (nearly two-mile) fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Several communities... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3251435/iceland-volcano-erupts-third-time-2-months-spewing-lava-50-metres-air-evacuating-blue-lagoon-spa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3251435/iceland-volcano-erupts-third-time-2-months-spewing-lava-50-metres-air-evacuating-blue-lagoon-spa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Feb 2024 10:46:56 +0000 Lava flowing from a volcano that erupted on Sunday near the Icelandic fishing port of Grindavík has engulfed homes just hours after villagers were evacuated to safety, authorities said. It was the North Atlantic nation’s fifth volcanic eruption in under three years. The most recent occurred just weeks ago on December 18 in the same region, southwest of the capital Reykjavik. At least three houses were engulfed in fire as glowing orange lava flowed into the edge of the town of Grindavík, live... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3248407/volcano-erupts-iceland-flowing-lava-reaches-fishing-town-grindavik?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3248407/volcano-erupts-iceland-flowing-lava-reaches-fishing-town-grindavik?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jan 2024 16:57:07 +0000 A volcano in Iceland was erupting on Tuesday, with geysers of molten lava shooting into the pitch-black night sky after weeks of seismic activity had the region southwest of the capital on high alert. The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, just north of the fishing town Grindavik, began Monday at around 10.17pm after an earthquake swarm, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said, referring to a series of small shakes. Live-streamed footage of the eruption showed glowing orange jets of lava... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3245540/iceland-volcano-erupts-after-weeks-earthquake-activity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3245540/iceland-volcano-erupts-after-weeks-earthquake-activity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Dec 2023 02:54:12 +0000 Officials in Indonesia’s West Sumatra are being investigated for possible negligence after 23 hikers were killed during a violent eruption this month at Mount Marapi, revealing authorities had defied a years-long ban on visitors to the volcano. In 2011, Indonesia’s national disaster agency had barred people from going within 3km of the mountain’s peak after detecting increased activity at Marapi, one of the country’s most active volcanoes. Yet, some 75 hikers and visitors were at the volcano... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3244806/indonesia-deaths-23-hikers-mount-marapi-spark-accusations-negligence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3244806/indonesia-deaths-23-hikers-mount-marapi-spark-accusations-negligence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Dec 2023 10:30:10 +0000 Tita Cahyani is lucky to be alive. The 24-year-old first-time hiker was on her way down from the peak of Indonesia’s Marapi volcano when it started to spew acrid smoke, rocks and ash in an eruption that ultimately killed 23 climbers. “I’m scared and I don’t want to do it again,” said Cahyani, who is being treated for extensive burns at a hospital in Padang Panjang, a city in Western Sumatra province around 40km (25 miles) from the volcano. The 2,891-metre (9,485ft) high Marapi is one of the most... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3244255/survivor-indonesias-marapi-eruption-vows-she-will-never-hike-again-i-dont-want?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3244255/survivor-indonesias-marapi-eruption-vows-she-will-never-hike-again-i-dont-want?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:27 +0000 Rescuers searching the hazardous slopes of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano found 11 more bodies of climbers who were caught by a surprise weekend eruption, raising the number of confirmed dead to 22, officials said on Tuesday. One person remained missing. More than 50 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption Sunday, and 11 others were initially confirmed dead. New eruptions on Monday and Tuesday spewed more hot ash as high as 800 metres (2,620 feet) into the air, reducing visibility and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3243889/23-feared-dead-indonesia-volcano-eruption-more-climbers-bodies-uncovered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3243889/23-feared-dead-indonesia-volcano-eruption-more-climbers-bodies-uncovered?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Dec 2023 07:03:09 +0000