Indonesia on high alert after volcano eruption

The Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano on Flores island spewed a column of ash more than a kilometer high on Monday after Indonesia placed the surrounding area on high alert.

In a statement released late Sunday, the Indonesian Volcanology Department raised the volcano's alert to the highest level on a scale of four, citing increased activity, with eight eruptions over the weekend, including one that spewed ash as high as 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) into the air.

The director of the Indonesian agency, Muhammad Wafid, said that “no activities will be allowed within a radius of six kilometers [around the volcano], while in the west-northeast sector, the zone extends up to seven kilometers from the crater”.

The expert urged communities living near the volcano to remain calm, wear face masks and be careful of possible lava flows .

In mid-February, during a similar surge in activity, authorities had ordered residents of six towns to evacuate. Shortly afterward, Lewotobi Laki-Laki spewed ash clouds about five miles into the air, causing at least seven flights to be canceled on the resort island of Bali.

Flores Island, where many excursions depart, particularly to Komodo National Park, is located about 800 kilometers east of Bali. The 1,703-meter-high volcano had already erupted several times in November, killing nine people, injuring 31 and forcing the evacuation of 11,000 people.

Indonesia has more than 400 volcanoes, of which at least 129 are still active and 65 are classified as dangerous.

The country is located within the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of ​​intense seismic and volcanic activity that is shaken by around seven thousand earthquakes per year, most of them of small magnitude.