Huge volcanic eruption in Indonesia sends ash 6 miles high and poisonous gas toward villages – The Sun
A VOLCANO has erupted in Indonesia, sending ash six miles high and poisonous gas toward villages.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupted for a second day – blanketing local areas with debris.
4
4
4
Another eruption Friday evening had sent clouds of ash up to an unbelievable 6.2 miles high.
The night sky was also lit up with glowing lava and bolts of lightning.
The two terrifying eruptions occurred in a span of less than five hours.
Indonesia’s Geology Agency recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava travelling up to three miles down the slopes of the mountain.
Drone observations showed deep movement of magma, setting off tremors that registered on seismic monitors.
Volcanic material, including searing hot gravel, was thrown up to five miles from the crater – coating nearby villages and towns.
The Agency asked residents to be vigilant about heavy rainfall that could trigger lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.
Saturday’s eruption was one of Indonesia’s largest since 2010 when Mount Merapi, the country’s most volatile volcano, erupted on the densely populated island of Java.
That eruption tragically killed more than 350 people and forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate.
In June, a flight “red alert” was a issued and a tsunami feared after a massive 10-mile high ash cloud exploded from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki.
The Australian government issued a “red” aviation alert following the intense eruption.
And Japan’s Meteorological Agency has to investigate whether the eruption – with a 16,000-metre plume of ash – could spark a tsunami.
Terrifying footage taken from a residential area nearby showed a gargantuan plume of and orange and grey smoke erupting from the volcano.
The humongous mushroom cloud towered over horrified locals who watched on as dark smoke was spewed out into the air.
In November last year, 10 people died after Mount Lewotobi spewed a fiery column of lava.
Hot ashes hit several villages, burning down houses including a convent of Catholic nuns.
Indonesia sits on the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.
In April 2024, a remote volcano in Indonesia erupted and sent a tower of ash more than five kilometres into the sky.
Thousands were evacuated and an international airport was closed after Mount Ruang erupted several times.
Within the same month, the 725-metre-tall volcano had already erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing more than 6,000 people to flee their homes.
4
