Indonesia, one of the world's most volcanically active countries, is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region where several tectonic plates meet, resulting in frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has urged residents to avoid activities within a 4-kilometre radius of the crater and to wear masks to protect their respiratory systems from volcanic ash.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province erupted on October 1, spewing a column of ash up to 5 km high and prompting the highest aviation alert, the Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre (VGDMC) said.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) erupted multiple times from September 19-20, and Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's Geology Agency raised its alert level to the highest after the eruption.
The latest eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki was one of Indonesia’s largest since 2010 and came less than a month after a major eruption on July 7.
Mount Lewotobi, standing at 1,584 metres, last erupted in November 2024, claiming nine lives and displacing thousands. It is one of Indonesia’s 127 active volcanoes, as the country lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for intense tectonic and volcanic activity.
International flights were cancelled including Jetstar and Virgin Australia flights to cities across Australia, and flights of Air India, Air New Zealand, Singapore's TigerAir and China's Juneyao Airlines.
Aircraft are prohibited from flying below 6,000 metres in the vicinity of the volcano, and should also remain alert to the presence of volcanic ash, which can disrupt flights.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the tourist island of Flores erupted shortly after midnight, Indonesia's volcanology agency reported.
Shahab noted that the volcanic eruption had begun affecting airport operations since March 21 morning from 8:45am, although the airport's airspace in South Bali remained safe.
The long eruption on late March 20 prompted the country's geological agency to raise Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki's alert level to the highest of the four-tiered system.
The closure was also prompted by a report from a pilot flying from the town of Maumere to Kupang, the provincial capital. The pilot detected the smell of sulfur at an altitude between 1,500 – 3,300 metres.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, which stands 1,703 meters tall, has erupted multiple times in recent months. In November, a series of eruptions killed nine people, forced thousands to flee, and disrupted international flights to Bali.
Several international airlines have cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali, following Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki’s further eruptions spewing ash clouds as high as 10 km and forcing thousands to evacuate.
Multiple airports in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, have temporarily shut down, with dozens of flights canceled following eruptions from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in eastern Indonesia on November 8 continued to spewing a 8,000-m high column of hot ash in an eruption that has lasted nearly a week.
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted again on November 7, spewing a 2,500 metre high column of hot ash, just three days after a midnight eruption killed nine people and injured 64 others.