JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – The volcano of Lewotobi Laki in southern central Indonesia erupted three times, and by Friday, it was ash higher than 8,000 meters (26,200 feet) and prompted authorities to expand the dangerous area around the volcano. Information on the evacuation has not been immediately available.
Volcanoes on the remote island of Flores in the Nusa Tenggara Province have had hundreds of earthquakes in the past seven days, with visible volcanic activity significantly increasing.
Authorities raised the eruption alert to the highest level and expanded the hazardous area from 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater.
Several airlines canceled flights between Australia and Indonesia’s tourist island Bali due to the outbreak, while other international and domestic flights to the island were also postponed.
Residents were warned to be wary of heavy rain-induced lava flows in rivers originating from volcanoes, the Indonesian Geology Bureau said in a statement.
In November, an eruption in Lewotobi Laki Mountain killed nine people and dozens were injured.
The 1,584m (5,197ft) mountain is the double volcano of Lewotobi Perempuan in the Flores Timur district.
Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people who regularly engage in seismic activities. It has 120 active volcanoes, sitting along the “ring of fire” on a series of horseshoe-shaped seismic fault lines surrounding the Pacific basin.
