Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki Erupts, Indonesia Raises Alert to Highest Level
- Victor Nwoko
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in south-central Indonesia erupted on Tuesday, sending massive columns of hot ash soaring into the atmosphere and prompting authorities to raise the eruption alert to the highest level. The danger zone around the volcano was expanded to 8 kilometers (approximately 5 miles) from the crater.
According to Indonesia’s Geology Agency, the volcano ejected thick grey ash clouds reaching heights of 10,000 meters (32,800 feet) into the sky. The activity followed an alarming surge in volcanic tremors — 50 recorded in just two hours, compared to the normal 8 to 10 per day.
The ash formed a massive mushroom-shaped cloud that was visible from cities located as far as 90 to 150 kilometers (56 to 93 miles) from the volcano. Though there were no immediate reports of casualties, authorities warned residents to remain alert, especially due to the risk of lava flows triggered by heavy rainfall in rivers downstream of the mountain.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, standing at 1,584 meters (5,197 feet), is part of a twin volcano system alongside Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in the Flores Timur district. This latest eruption comes months after a previous one in November that claimed nine lives and injured dozens.
Indonesia, home to over 270 million people, is situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — a volatile zone of seismic fault lines — and has 120 active volcanoes, making it one of the most volcanically active regions in the world.
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