Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki Erupts Again
dangerous, and active volcano in Indonesia, erupted again on Tuesday, sending a big cloud of ash and smoke into the air, reaching an average height of 6.8 miles (about 11 kilometers). Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the eruption has caused major problems, especially to air travel because Indonesia’s islands are a popular tourist destination.
As for some background information, Indonesia, a country made up of over 17,000 islands, lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a place known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country has around 120 active volcanoes. The eruption was so powerful that the ash cloud could be seen from nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) away.
After hearing of the eruption, the Indonesian government raised the volcano’s alert level to its highest level and warned people to stay at least five miles (eight kilometers) away from the mountain. Residents living nearby were evacuated to safer locations.
On Wednesday morning, the volcano erupted again, releasing another giant and dangerous ash cloud, this time reaching about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) into the sky. Ash from the eruption fell on distant villages, affecting air quality because of the ash and visibility because of the smoke.
The eruptions have severely impacted air travel due to the dangerous volcanic eruptions. Airports on Flores Island and in Bali were temporarily closed, and dozens of flights were canceled. This affected many flights like traveling between Indonesian islands, as well as connections to places like Australia, China, India, Malaysia, and New Zealand.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has shown increasing activity from data in recent months. In a normal situation, it rumbles about 10 times a day, but just before Tuesday’s eruption, it rumbled 50 times within two hours, possibly a bad sign. Earlier eruptions also occurred in March and May. Its most serious recent eruption happened last November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate because of the smoke and ash.