by Maumere, Indonesia (AP)-the residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash, the streets and green rice fields in villages in southern Indonesia as rumbling the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki for a second day in a row.
The outbreak at dawn sent Lava and ash clouds high at 4 kilometers. This was followed by an outbreak on Monday at noon, in which a pillar of volcanic materials was sent up to 18 kilometers to the sky, and an evening outbreak that spat on the lava and sent a volcanic ash up to 13 kilometers into the air.
Photos and videos on social media showed that frightened residents came around their lives under the rain of ashes and gravel, and the drivers tried to drive motorcycles and cars in reduced visibility when the ash clouds from the outbreak extend into a mushroom form on Monday.
No victims were reported from the recent outbreaks of the volcano, which had existed at the highest alarm level since June 18, when the no-go zone was expanded to a 3.3-mile radius of 7 kilometers, said Abdul Muhari, spokeswoman for the national disaster reduction agency.
“People in the volcano have increasingly understood how the effects of disaster risks have become more common since the end of 2023,” said Muhari in an explanation.
The outbreaks of the volcano on Flores Island affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages in East Flores and Sikka Districts.
It was reported that thick volcano ash and rocks in villages from Nawakote, Klantanio, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, Pululera and Wulanggitang have fallen, where streets and green rice fields were turned into gray sludge and rocks.
“The smell of sulfur and ashes hung so close in the air that breathing was painful,” said Awales.
The authorities distributed 50,000 masks and asked the residents to limit outdoor activities to protect themselves from volcanic materials. The residents were also asked to be vigilant for strong rainfall that could trigger lava flows in rivers that come from the volcano.
The outbreak of Lewotobi Laki Laki followed the outbreak in November 2024, in which nine people and injured dozens were killed.
The geology agency recorded an avalanche made of scorching gas clouds, mixed with stones and lava, which drove up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) the slopes of the 1,584 meter mountain (5.197 feet) on Monday. Observations from drones showed that Lava filled the crater, which indicates a deep movement of magma that triggered the volcanic earthquake. Volcanic materials, including hot gravel in the size of the thumb, were thrown on 8 kilometers by the crater.
Muhari said two airports in the cities of Maumere and Lariantuka in the province of East Nusa Tenggara were closed on Tuesday.
Dozens of flights to and from the international airport Ngurah Rai on the island of the Bali resort were delayed or canceled, but the airport spokesman Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said that despite the cancellations, the airport was normal because the surveillance was not affected that the airspace from Bali was not affected.
The initial outbreak of Lewotobi Laki Laki on Monday was one of the largest Indonesian since 2010 when Mount Merapi, the most volatile volcano in the country, broke out on the densely populated island of Java. This killed 353 people and forced over 350,000 people to evacuate.
Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the “Ring of Fire”, a horseshoe -shaped series of seismic fault lines that surround the Pacific basin.
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Karmini reported Jakarta. Associated Press Journalist Edna Tarigan and Firdia Lisnawati contributed to this report.
