JAKARTA, June 18 — Several flights to the Indonesian resort island of Bali were cancelled and the airport in Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara province was closed due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, officials said today.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, which is in East Nusa Tenggara, erupted yesterday, spewing ash 11km high, forcing the country’s volcanology agency to raise the alert level to the highest.
It erupted again this morning, belching a 1km-high ash cloud, the agency said in a statement.
Several international flights from India, Singapore and Australia to Bali were cancelled due to the eruption, the Bali international airport website showed.
The government closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere today and tomorrow “to ensure the safety of the passengers”, said airport operator AirNav in an Instagram post.
The eruption also forced local authorities to evacuate dozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano, Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency told Reuters.
“Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand,” she said, adding no casualties were reported.
The volcano last erupted in May.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.
— Reuters
