Jakarta (VNA) - Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in eastern Indonesia erupted on May 19, sending a column of ash more than 1 km into the sky shortly after authorities raised the alert to the highest level.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the tourist island of Flores erupted shortly after midnight, Indonesia's volcanology agency reported. The volcano erupted once more at 09:36 am (0136 GMT), the agency said.
The latest rumblings followed authorities on May 18 evening raising the alert level of the 1,584-metre (5,197-foot) twin-peaked volcano to the highest in the country's four-tiered system.
A series of eruptions on May 18 spewed ash as high as six kilometres above Laki-Laki's peak, according to the volcanology agency.
Indonesia's geological agency head Muhammad Wafid urged residents to wear face masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash, while telling people not to carry out any activities at least six kilometres from the crater.
The geological agency chief also warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods - a type of mud or debris flow - if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities around rivers that originate at the volcano's peak.
In November last year, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times, killing nine people, cancelling scores of international flights to Bali and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire"./.
