JAKARTA: A volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia on Sunday, sending a column of ash as high as 4,000 meters (13,120 feet) into the sky and prompting the timely evacuation of thousands of people in the area. There were no deaths or injuries reported from the incident.
According to the Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Raditya Jati, nearly 2,800 people belonging to at least 28 villages were evacuated from the slopes of Mount Ili Lewotolok after the volcano erupted, which is located on Lembata island of East Nusa Tenggara province.
Furthermore, the local airport has been closed along with a flight warning that was issued after the eruption as ash from the volcano eruption began raining down on many areas of the island located in eastern Indonesia.
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This isn’t the first time Mount Ili Lewotolok has erupted as the volcano has been active and erupting on and off since October 2017. However, Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center raised the volcano’s alert level to the second-highest on Sunday after sensors began picking up increased activity.
The Disaster Mitigation Agency has advised villagers and mountain climbers to stay at least 4 kilometers away from the crater.
Such an incident is not that surprising for Indonesia as it is located “Ring of Fire” which is basically an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where there are many earthquakes and volcanic activity.
There are more than 120 volcanoes in Indonesia out of which three are currently erupting which include the Mount Ili Lewotolo along with Merapi on Java island and Sinabung on Sumatra island.
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