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Six dead in Flores after volcano erupts
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located on the popular tourist island of Flores, spewed a tower of ash and lava on nearby villages that were forced to evacuate.
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Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews volcanic ash during an eruption as seen from Boru village in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, on July 14, 2024. (AFP/Arnold Welianto)
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t least six people died after a volcano in East Nusa Tenggara erupted several times overnight, officials said Monday, raising the alert level to the highest of a four-tiered system.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located on the popular tourist island of Flores, spewed a tower of ash and lava on nearby villages that were forced to evacuate.
"According to our coordination with the local authorities, six fatalities have been confirmed," Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said Monday in an interview on Kompas TV.
Footage received by AFP showed villages near the volcano covered by thick ash, with some areas on fire.
The country's volcanology agency raised the alert level to the highest mark, and told locals and tourists not to carry out activities within a seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) radius of the crater.
"There has been a significant increase in volcanic activity on Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki," it said in a press release Monday.
Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted on Sunday at 23.57 local time (15:57 GMT), belching a fiery-red column of lava, volcanic ash and incandescent rocks, Hadi Wijaya, a spokesperson for The Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), said on Monday.
"After the eruption, there was power outage and then it was raining and big lightning which caused panic among residents," he told Reuters, adding that the authority had raised the status of the volcano to level IV or the highest.
The agency has recommended a seven-kilometre (4.35 miles)radius must be cleared.
Fiery lava and rocks hit the nearest settlements around four kms (two miles) from the crater, burning and damaging residents' houses, Hadi said.
As of Monday morning at least nine people had died, said Heronimus Lamawuran, a local official at East Flores area, adding the eruption had affected seven villages.
"We have started evacuating residents since this morning to other villages located around 20 kms (13 miles) from the crater," he said.
BNPB warned there was a potential for rain-induced lava floods and told locals to wear masks to avoid the effects of volcanic ash.
The mountain had several major eruptions in January, prompting authorities at the time to raise the alert status to the highest level and evacuate at least 2,000 residents.
