Levotoby volcano becomes active again: thousands of people evacuated

Levotobi volcano, located in the eastern part of Indonesia’s Flores Island, erupted again, spewing a massive 8-kilometer ash cloud, according to local reports.

Indonesia’s Geological Agency confirmed the volcano erupted three times—once on Thursday night and twice on Friday. Ashfall blanketed nearby villages and disrupted local farming.

Several international flights were canceled at Bali’s airport, including Jetstar flights to Australia and an Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Authorities raised the volcanic alert to its highest level and declared a 7–8 kilometer exclusion zone around the crater. A 14-day state of emergency has also been announced. Approximately 4,700 people have been evacuated to safer areas.

In November, a previous eruption from Levotobi killed nine people and injured dozens more. Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is home to nearly 130 active volcanoes. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”