Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spews 11km-high ash cloud after eruption

Views of an ash cloud billowing in the sky after Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted on Jun 17, 2025. (Images: The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation via Reuters)

JAKARTA: Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province erupted on Tuesday (Jun 17), spewing a towering ash cloud 11km high, the country's volcanology agency said.

The agency also said it had raised the alert level of the volcano to the most dangerous, warning of potential lava flows if it rains heavily.

 

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, a 1,584m-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 5.35pm there, the volcanology agency said in a statement.

"The ash column was observed to be grey with thick intensity," it added.



 

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Geology agency head Muhammad Wafid said residents and tourists should avoid carrying out any activities within at least 7km of the volcano's crater.

Particularly for communities near rivers, there may be hazardous lahar floods – a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials – if heavy rain occurs, he warned.

He also urged residents to wear face masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash.

In November last year, the volcano erupted multiple times, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate. Scores of  as well.

There were no immediate reports of cancelled flights after Tuesday's eruption.

Laki-laki, which means man in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703m-tall 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".




 

JAKARTA: At least two dozen flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali have been cancelled, its international airport website showed on Wednesday (Jun 18), after , shooting an ash tower 10km into the sky.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703m twin-peaked volcano on the eastern tourist island of Flores, erupted on Tuesday, with authorities raising its alert status to the highest level.

The flights cancelled included Jetstar and Virgin Australia flights to cities across Australia, with Air India, Air New Zealand, Singapore's Scoot and China's Juneyao Airlines also cancelling flights "due to volcano", Bali's international airport website said.

Several domestic AirAsia flights leaving for Labuan Bajo on Flores were also cancelled.



"Ngurah Rai is still operating normally but it depends on the flight schedule, but some of the flights are cancelled due to a volcano. It depends on the route and also the airline," a Bali airport customer service agent who declined to give their name told AFP.