A Mountain in Indonesia Erupts

On June 17th, a volcano in Indonesia called Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, erupted.

Lewotobi Laki-laki is on Flores Island. Mount Lewotobi is about

5,250 feet tall, and has two peaks close together. The other peak, Lewotobi Perempuan, has been quiet for a long time.

The eruption sent a huge cloud of ash and smoke 6.8 miles into the sky, causing problems with air travel and canceling many flights from popular tourist sites in Indonesia. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported. The Indonesian government raised the alert level to its highest level, and told people to stay at least five miles away from the volcano. People living near the volcano were frantically moving to safer areas. On Wednesday morning, the volcano erupted again, sending another ash cloud 0.6 miles into the air. Unfortunately, all the ash from the eruptions fell on villages far away from the volcano.

The islands of Bali and Flores are both popular with travelers, and the current eruption has left a number of tourists stuck temporarily. One travel agency said it knew of over 1,000 tourists who had to stay in Bali because of cancellations. Not everyone was upset to have to stay longer.