Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Prompting Evacuation of Villages

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, one of the two stratovolcanoes that make up Mount Lewotobi in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, erupted again on Monday, January 2, 2024, sending a plume of ash and smoke up to 10 kilometers high. 

The eruption was the latest in a series of eruptions that have occurred since December 23, 2023, when the volcano first showed signs of increased activity.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said that more than 3,000 people from 28 villages in the districts of Lumajang and Malang were evacuated to safer locations, as the authorities raised the alert level to 3 (Siaga) (on a scale of 1-4) and imposed a 4-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano. 

The agency also warned of possible lava flows, pyroclastic flows, and more eruptions, and urged the public to stay calm and follow the instructions of the local officials.

The agency said that no casualties or major damage were reported so far, but some houses, bridges, and roads were covered by ash and volcanic material. The agency also said that it had distributed masks, food, and other aid to the affected residents, and coordinated with the health, social, and public works ministries to provide assistance.

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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, which stands at 1,703 meters above sea level, is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, a country that sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic and volcanic activity. 

The volcano has been erupting intermittently since 2003, and had a major eruption in 2015 that injured several people and damaged crops.

According to the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG), the latest eruption was caused by the collapse of the lava dome at the summit of the volcano, which had been growing since November 2023. The center said that the eruption was not related to the recent increase in seismic activity in the region, which was triggered by the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumba Island on December 31, 2023.