Indonesia's Mt Lewotobi erupts, alert level at highest as ash reaches 8,000 metres
Mount Lewotobi, located in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted, prompting the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation to raise the alert status to the highest level.
- JAKARTA — Mount
Lewotobi, located in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted,
prompting the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation to
raise the alert status to the highest level.
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- The eruption released a column of ash up to 8,000 metres
high before midnight on Thursday. The gray-to-black cloud was dispersed
southwest and west of the crater. The strong eruption continued into Friday
morning, with a column of ash reaching 2,500 metres. Thick grey clouds moved
westward from the volcano.
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- The volcano's alert level has been elevated to the highest
level, or Level IV, since Thursday.
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- A Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation has been raised to
red level since Thursday, prohibiting aircraft from flying below 6,000 metres
in the vicinity of the volcano. Planes should also remain alert to the presence
of volcanic ash, which can disrupt flights, Xinhua news agency reported.
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- Since Thursday, danger zones have been expanded from 7 km to
8 km in the southwest and northwest of the crater, while other areas saw an
increase from 5 km to 7 km.
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- The centre has issued safety recommendations, advising
communities around Mount Lewotobi to remain cautious of potential rain-induced
lava floods in rivers originating from the mountain's slopes during periods of
heavy rainfall.
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- Residents in areas affected by volcanic ash should wear
masks to protect themselves from respiratory hazards.
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- The 1,584-metre-high Mount Lewotobi is one of 127 active
volcanoes in Indonesia.
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- Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with
frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanos and sits along the “Ring
of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the
Pacific Basin.
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- Indonesia sits on the boundary of several major tectonic
plates: the Eurasian, Australian, and Pacific plates.
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- Indonesia has experienced some of the world's deadliest and
most powerful eruptions, such as the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, further
highlighting the country's vulnerability to volcanic hazards.
