Indonesia volcano spews 18km-high ash tower
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts, as seen from Nangahale village in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara on Jul 7, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Arnold Welianto)
JAKARTA: A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted, spewing a colossal ash tower 18km into the sky on Monday (Jul 7), authorities said, just weeks after it caused dozens of flight cancellations to and from the popular resort island of Bali.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, a 1,584m-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 11.05am local time, the volcanology agency said in a statement.
"An eruption of Lewotobi Laki-laki Volcano occurred ... with the observed ash column height reaching approximately 18,000m above the summit," the agency said.
The agency said the explosion came with loud thuds. It warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods - a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials - if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near rivers.
There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.
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Last month, dozens of flights to and from Bali were cancelled after the volcano erupted. Volcanic ash rained down on several communities around the volcano and forced the evacuation of at least one village.
The column of hot clouds that rose into the sky was the volcano's highest since the major eruption in November 2024 that killed nine people and injured dozens, said Muhammad Wafid, the Geology Agency chief. It also erupted in March.
“An eruption of that size certainly carries a higher potential for danger, including its impact on aviation,” Wafid told The Associated Press from Switzerland where he was attending a seminar. “We shall reevaluate to enlarge its danger zone that must be cleared of villagers and tourist activities.”
The eruption prompted airlines, including Jetstar, Virgin Australia and AirAsia Indonesia, to cancel some flights on Monday.
Jetstar said in an advisory on its website that the ash was the cause. "We continue to monitor the situation closely," it added.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancellation of scores of international flights to Bali.
Monday's eruption was one of Indonesia’s largest volcano eruptions since 2010 when Mount Merapi, the country’s most volatile volcano, erupted on the densely populated island of Java. That eruption killed 353 people and forced over 350,000 people to evacuate affected areas.
Laki-laki, which means man in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703m volcano named Perempuan, after the Indonesian word for woman.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire".
