Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts, sending ash 10 km high

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts in Flores, Indonesia, October 15, 2025.
Reuters

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted on Wednesday, shooting volcanic ash 10 km (6.2 miles) into the sky, the country's volcanology agency said, forcing authorities to raise the alert system to its highest level.

Located in East Nusa Tenggara province, the volcano erupted on Wednesday (15 October) for around nine minutes, the country's Geological Agency said in a statement.

It erupted again on Wednesday morning, spewing ash 8 km high, the agency said, for about three minutes.

Late on Tuesday, the agency raised its alert level to the highest point after recording "significant rising of the volcano's activities" since Monday, its head, Muhammad Wafid, said.

Dozens of people living in villages nearest to the volcano were evacuated from the areas after the eruptions, according to Avelina Manggota Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency.

The government has closed Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport, located in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, until Thursday, the airport operator said in a post on social media.

The volcano last erupted in August. It also erupted in July, causing flight disruptions to and from the nearby resort island of Bali.

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