Key Points
- At least 10 people died after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in eastern Indonesia erupted just after midnight on Monday.
- Officials said the volcano spewed explosive plumes of lava, forcing several nearby villages to be evacuated.
- This eruption follows a series of eruptions of different volcanoes in Indonesia.
At least 10 people have died after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in eastern Indonesia erupted, spewing explosive plumes of lava and forcing authorities to evacuate several nearby villages..
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted just after midnight on Monday, spilling lava, volcanic ash and blazing rocks.
"After the eruption, there was a power outage, and then it was raining and big lightning which caused panic among residents," Hadi Wijaya, a spokesperson for the Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, told Reuters on Monday.
He said the authority had raised the status of the volcano to level 4 or the highest.
The agency has recommended that a 7km radius be cleared.
Fiery lava and rocks hit the nearest settlements around 4km from the crater, burning and damaging houses, Wijaya said.
Heronimus Lamawuran, a local official in the East Flores area, said the eruption had affected seven villages.
"We have started evacuating residents since this morning to other villages located around 20km from the crater," he said.
Lamawuran said the nearest villages were covered by thick volcanic ash.
The authorities are still gathering data on the number of evacuees and damaged buildings.
The eruption of the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano affected seven villages, according to local authorities. Credit: East Flores BPBD/EPA
Indonesia's disaster agency warned of potential flash floods and cold lava flows in the coming days, agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.
The local government has declared a state of emergency for the next 58 days, he said, meaning the central government could help provide aid to the 10,000 affected residents. Authorities are still gathering data on the number of evacuees.
Thick volcanic ash covered roads and buildings in one of the villages near the volcano. Source: AAP / AP
In May, a volcano on the remote island of Halmahera, Mount Ibu, caused the evacuation of people from seven villages.
North Sulawesi's Ruang volcano also erupted in May and prompted authorities to evacuate more than 12,000 people.
Flash floods and cold lava flow from Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province covered several nearby districts following heavy rain on 11 May, killing more than 60 people.
