A volcano in easternIndonesiahas spewed a colossal ash tower into the sky, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from Bali.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584m twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, east ofBali, erupted at 5.35pm local time on Tuesday, the volcanology agency said in a statement.
Officialsraised Indonesia’s disaster alert levelto the highest of a four-tiered system in response to the eruption.
“The height of the eruption column was observed at approximately 10,000 metres above the summit. The ash column was observed to be grey with thick intensity,” it said, after the alert level was raised.
There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.
Geology agency head Muhammad Wafid said residents and tourists should avoid carrying out any activities within at least 7km of the volcano’s crater.
Virgin Australia confirmed some flights between Brisbane and Melbourne and Bali were cancelled on Wednesday due to the eruption.
Jetstar also cancelled four flights from Australia into Bali on Wednesday morning, while Qantas said it was keeping a “close eye” on the situation with flights scheduled to leave later this afternoon.
Air New Zealand cancelled two flights between Bali and Aukland on Wednesday, saying it would “continue to closely monitor” the volcanic ash cloud.
“Safety is always our first priority and we will only operate into and out of Denpasar when it is safe to fly,” the airline said.
Air India, Singapore’s TigerAir and China’s Juneyao Airlines also cancelled flights “due to volcano”, Bali’s international airport website said.
Several domestic AirAsia flights leaving for Labuan Bajo on Flores were also cancelled.
“Ngurah Rai is still operating normally but it depends on the flight schedule, but some of the flights are cancelled due to a volcano. It depends on the route and also the airline,” a Bali airport customer service agent who declined to give their name told AFP.
Wafid warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods – a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials – if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near to rivers.
He also urged residents to wear face masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement late Tuesday that at least one village had to evacuate, without providing numbers, and ash rain was reported in several villages outside the exclusion zone.
The spokesman called on residents around the volcano “to evacuate to safe locations” as tremors were still being detected, which indicated ongoing volcanic activity.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancellation of scores of international flights to Bali.
Laki-Laki, which means man in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703m (5,587-foot) volcano named Perempuan, after the Indonesian word for woman.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.