In pictures: Ash cloud hangs over Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi after eruption
Indonesia sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates.
Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of the 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago of 280 million people. / Photo: AFP
Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted eight times on Thursday, spewing a plume of volcanic ash up to 8,000m (26,250 ft) high, officials said, as the government scrambled to build homes for victims of a big eruption that killed nine.
Sunday night's eruption on the island of Flores in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, which damaged more than 2,000 houses, was followed by smaller eruptions on the next two days.
On Thursday, the volcano erupted again at 00:40 am, the volcanology agency said in a statement, with a second eruption two hours later emitting a fiery red column of lava.
A resident looks at destroyed houses a day after the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki at Hokeng Jaya Village, East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 5, 2024.
Five eruptions of the volcano, 1,584-m (5,200-ft) tall, followed from 6 am to 11 am, with the last belching out the 8,000 m (26,250 ft) column of ash.
Billows of the thick grey ash emerged from the crater in pictures provided by the agency, an official of which, Hadi Wijaya, said it was keeping the highest alert status for the volcano, which remains very active.
Mount Lewotobi spews volcanic ash from its crater during an eruption as seen from Duripali village in East Flores, Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province on October 12, 2024.
"We expect construction of the new houses will be completed within six months," the head of Indonesia's disaster agency, Suharyanto, told reporters, adding that the government was scouting for locations.
The agency is still calculating the number to be relocated. Evacuees lacked adequate water supplies, Suharyanto added.
Schoolchildren run during the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, as seen from Lewolaga village in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara on November 7, 2024.
About 5,816 of the more than 16,000 people living in areas nearest the volcano had been evacuated to other villages, said Heronimus Lamawuran, a spokesperson for the Flores regional government.
Indonesia sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates.
About 6,500 people were evacuated in January after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki began erupting, spewing thick clouds and forcing the government to close the island’s Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport. No casualties or major damage were reported, but the airport has remained closed due to seismic activity.
Members of a rescue team carry away body bags containing deceased people at Klatanlo village, in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 4, 2024, after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted overnight.
Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of a pair of stratovolcanoes in the East Flores district of East Nusa Tenggara province, known locally as the husband-and-wife mountains. “Laki-laki” means man, while its mate is Lewotobi Perempuan, or woman.
The vulcanology centre said another volcano, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province — one of the country’s most active volcanoes — erupted again on Thursday, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and blanketing nearby villages with debris. No casualties were reported.
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