Deadly volcano erupts on Flores Island, Indonesia, killing 10

A volcanic explosion has claimed at least 10 lives and  forced the evacuation of of several villages in eastern Indonesia, one of Australia’s closest neighbours.

Lava, volcanic ash and incandescent rocks erupted from Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, a 1,703m twin volcano on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, at about midnight on Sunday – about 3am Monday AEDT.

Its alert status has since been raised to level four, the highest.

‘After the eruption, there was a power outage and then it was raining and big lightning which caused panic among residents,’ Hadi Wijaya, a spokesperson for The Centre of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation told Reuters.

The agency recommended a 7km radius be cleared around the eruption site after lava and rocks hit settlements just 4km from the crater.

The eruption has not yet affected any Australian flights paths, but the situation is being continually monitored. 

At least 10,000 people were affected by the eruption in the Wulanggitang district and six nearby villages – Pululera, Nawokote, Hokeng Jaya, Klatanlo, Boru and Boru Kedang. 

Authorities are still collecting data on the extent of the damage and number of evacuees but have confirmed at least 10 people have been killed.

Authorities are still collecting data on the extent of the damage and number of evacuees but confirmed at least 10 people had died

‘We have started evacuating residents since this morning to other villages located around 20km from the crater,’ local official Heronimus Lamawuran said.

The villages closest to the volcano were covered by thick volcanic ash. Several homes have been burnt and damaged.

Indonesia sits on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an area of high seismic activity due to its position on multiple tectonic plates.

Sunday’s eruption was the latest in a string of eruptions of volcanoes across Indonesia this year.

A volcano on the remote island of Halmahera, Mount Ibu, caused seven villages to evacuate in May.

Also in May, North Sulawesi’s Ruang volcano erupted and caused more than 12,000 to flee the area.

Flash floods and cold lava flow from Mount Marapi, in West Sumatra province, hit several nearby districts and killed more than 60 people on May 11.

At least 10,000 people were affected by the eruption in the Wulanggitang district and six nearby villages