Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted again on Thursday, sending towering columns of ash into the sky in a display even more powerful than the deadly eruption three days prior that claimed nine lives and injured dozens. Fortunately, no casualties were reported from this latest eruption, as residents within a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) danger zone had been evacuated to safer villages, according to local disaster agency official Kensius Didimus.
The 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) volcano on the remote island of Flores erupted 11 times on Thursday, with the largest ash column soaring nearly 5 miles high, explained Hadi Wijaya, head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation. This eruption came after the volcano had shown diminished activity since Monday’s tragic event, which killed nine and injured 64.
Monday’s explosive eruption affected more than 10,000 people across 10 villages. In its wake, nearly 6,000 residents sought refuge in makeshift emergency shelters, and extensive damage was inflicted, including the destruction of seven schools, nearly two dozen homes, and a convent on the predominantly Catholic island. Volcanic debris such as smoldering rocks, lava, and hot fragments were hurled up to 7 kilometers from the crater.
Officials surveying the devastated region uncovered large craters widened by the force of the falling rocks, some as wide as 13 meters (43 feet) and as deep as 5 meters (16 feet), including at a ruined school. Wijaya noted significant differences from a prior eruption in January, emphasizing that the latest event showed a different pattern, with more wide-reaching volcanic material. Wijaya’s team is currently analyzing these changes to recommend safe relocation sites for affected residents.
In response to the escalation, authorities have urged closure of the Maumere-Larantuka road, the only route connecting the island’s largest city to the neighboring district, as it runs through the danger zone. The local government has heightened Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki’s alert status to the highest level and expanded the exclusion zone to a 7-kilometer radius on Monday, strictly prohibiting any activity within this perimeter.
National Disaster Management Agency head Suharyanto, who goes by one name, confirmed plans to permanently relocate roughly 16,000 residents from the danger zone as a long-term safety measure. He announced that those from the hardest-hit villages would be moved within the next six months, and each family awaiting new housing would receive a monthly compensation of 500,000 rupiah ($32).
The residents of Flores aren’t new to these disruptions; approximately 6,500 were evacuated when Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki first started erupting in January. Thick volcanic clouds forced the closure of the island’s Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport, which remains shut due to ongoing seismic activity, though no major damages or casualties were recorded then.
Interestingly, Lewotobi Laki Laki is one part of a stratovolcano pair in East Nusa Tenggara province, colloquially known as the husband-and-wife mountains. While “Laki laki” signifies “man,” its counterpart, “Lewotobi Perempuan,” means “woman.”
Elsewhere, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, also erupted on Thursday, emitting thick ash columns multiple times and covering nearby villages with debris. No casualties were noted from this eruption either.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 280 million people, is home to 120 active volcanoes and is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” a volatile seismic fault line circling the Pacific Ocean.
