At least 10 people were killed after the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted near midnight on November 3, sending out violent lava flows and forcing authorities to evacuate several nearby villages, officials said.
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| Smoke billows from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki as seen from Klatanlo village, in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia on November 4. (Source: Getty Images) |
On November 4, spokesman for the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) Hadi Wijaya said that Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located on Flores Island, erupted at 11:57 pm the night before, creating a column of red-hot lava, volcanic ash and flaming rocks.
"After the eruption, there was a power outage, followed by heavy rain and thunder, causing panic among residents," Hadi said, Reuters quoted him as saying, adding that authorities had raised the volcano's alert level to the highest.
The agency he works for will have to clean up an area within a 7 km radius of the crater.
Lava and hot rocks have reached the nearest settlements about four kilometers from the crater, burning and damaging people's homes, Mr. Hadi said.
At least 10 people have died as of the afternoon of November 4 and the eruption has affected seven villages, said Heronimus Lamawuran, a local official. "We have started evacuating people this morning to other villages about 20 kilometers away from the crater," he said.
Images shared by the authorities showed the evening sky over the volcano turned red due to the eruption, while footage showed several wooden houses on fire and residents wearing face masks being evacuated. Other footage showed thick volcanic ash covering roads and buildings in one of the villages.
Indonesia's disaster agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said the agency had warned of the risk of flash floods and cold lava flows in the coming days.
The local government has declared a state of emergency for the next 58 days, and may provide aid to 10,000 affected residents. Authorities are still collecting data on how many people have been evacuated.
The nearest airport, located in the town of Maumere, has been temporarily closed, Mr. Abdul added.
Indonesia lies on the " Pacific Ring of Fire", an area of intense seismic activity on top of several tectonic plates.
The eruption follows a series of others. In May, a volcano on Halmahera Island, Mount Ibu, forced the evacuation of seven villages.
Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi also erupted in May, forcing authorities to evacuate more than 12,000 people.
Flash floods and cold lava flows from Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province in May killed more than 60 people.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nui-lua-mot-nuoc-dong-nam-a-phun-trao-10-nguoi-thiet-mang-292591.html
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