Flights to and from Bali, one of the Indonesia’s top tourist spots, have been cancelled or delayed after a nearby volcano erupted, causing major disruptions.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located on Flores island in eastern Indonesia, suddenly erupted on Tuesday at 5:35 PM local time. It sent a large cloud of volcanic ash more than 11 kilometers (about 7 miles) into the sky, according to the country’s volcanology agency.
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far, but authorities are on high alert. They have raised the danger level to the highest possible and warned people to stay at least 7 kilometers away from the volcano’s crater to avoid harm.
Several international airlines, including Air India, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Juneyao Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Australia, have cancelled flights to and from Bali, which lies west of Flores. By Wednesday noon, more than 20 flights had been cancelled at Bali’s main airport — I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Some domestic AirAsia flights going to Flores have also been cancelled.
This volcano, known for its two peaks, had also erupted several times in November last year. That eruption killed nine people and forced thousands to leave their homes. Since then, it has been closely monitored by experts.
The head of Indonesia’s geology agency, Muhammad Wafid, said there is a risk of dangerous mudflows known as lahars — these are floods of water mixed with ash, rocks, and other volcanic debris. These usually occur when heavy rain falls after an eruption. He also advised locals to wear masks to protect themselves from inhaling the ash, which can cause breathing problems and other health issues.
The country’s disaster management agency said that at least one village near the volcano has already been evacuated, and several other villages outside the main danger zone are also seeing ash fall. Officials say volcanic tremors are still being recorded, which means the volcano is still active and could erupt again.
A local spokesperson urged people living near the volcano to leave their homes and move to safer areas immediately.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone where several tectonic plates meet. This region experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki last erupted in May this year, and at that time too, the alert level was raised to the highest level.
The volcano has two peaks: “Laki-Laki,” which means “man” in Indonesian, and “Perempuan,” which means “woman.” While Laki-Laki is currently the more active of the two, Perempuan is taller but calmer.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and have emergency services on standby in case the eruption gets worse.
