JAKARTA (BERNAMA-ANTARA) – Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia erupted yesterday, spewing volcanic ash up to 800 metres (m) high from its crater, according to the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre (PVMBG).
Adzan Anugrah Indiarsyah, an officer at the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki observation post, stated that the eruption occurred at 7.20am local time, reported ANTARA news agency. A thick grey ash column was seen heading toward the southwest.
“The eruption was recorded on a seismograph, with a maximum amplitude of 41.4 millimetres and a duration of 303 seconds,” he said in a report yesterday.
Mount Lewotobi (1,584m), a twin volcano, is located in the southeastern part of Flores Island.
It consists of two peaks: Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Mount Lewotobi Perempuan.
The PVMBG is visually and instrumentally monitoring the volcano from an observation post located in Pululera Village, Wulanggitang District, East Flores.
The agency has been appealing to residents located around Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki to avoid activities within a two-kilometre (km) radius, 3km in the north-northeast direction, and 5km in the northeast sector.
The local community is urged to remain calm, follow directions from the regional government, and not believe in rumours from unreliable sources.
“The community living around Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki must be wary of the potential for raintriggered lava flooding in rivers that originate at the peak if there is high-intensity rain,” Indiarsyah remarked.
The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has raised the status of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki from alert level 2 to alert level 3.