Denpasar, Mar. 21, (dpa/GNA) – New eruptions of the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano on Indonesia’s Flores island sent residents running and were disrupting international air travel on Friday.
The volcano has erupted a number of times since Thursday, spewing ash and rocks kilometres into the air, the Antara news agency reported citing the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM).
Local media reported that there were some power outages in populated areas around the volcano. Many people fled their homes during the most intense eruption. Authorities urged residents and tourists to wear face masks and avoid getting any closer than eight kilometres from the crater.
The agency for volcanology and hazards reported that a level 4 alert was in place, with level 5 being the top warning.
On Friday morning, air traffic was also affected on the island of Bali, which lies just 500 kilometres from the volcano and is popular with tourists.
The 1,584-metre-tall Lewotobi Laki-Laki had erupted several times at the end of last year. At least nine people were killed while thousands were forced to flee. Numerous flights to and from Bali were cancelled at the time.
The Australian low-cost airline Jetstar on Friday was the first to announce that it would not be flying to Ngurah Rai Airport in the Balinese city of Denpasar for safety reasons. It is still unclear whether air traffic will be able to resume normal operations in the afternoon, the company said.
The world’s largest archipelago nation, Indonesia, is situated on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone on Earth.
GNA