The Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano caused nine deaths and 64 injuries and 2,472 people were evacuated from their homes. Seven schools and 23 homes were damaged. Indonesia registers around seven thousand earthquakes a year.
At least nine people have died and 2,472 have been evacuated from their homes following the eruption of the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano in eastern Indonesia, local authorities said on Tuesday. A first report, published on Monday, reported six deaths.
Besides, 64 people were injuredincluding one in critical condition and 31 in serious condition, while seven schools and 23 homes were damagednotes the latest report from the regional disaster management agency BPBD.
The Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, which erupted several times on Sunday night and early Monday morning, is located on the Indonesian island of Flores, very popular with tourists. Ash and lava were expelled from the volcano towards neighboring towns, which had to be evacuated.
The authorities raised the alert status in the area to level 4, the highest, established an exclusion radius of about seven kilometers around the 1,584-meter-high volcano, and warned of the risk of flooding in the area due to rainfall. .
Eight towns, with a total population estimated at 16 thousand inhabitants, are within the exclusion zone, according to official data.
Indonesia has more than 400 volcanoes, of which at least 129 are still active and 65 are classified as dangerous.
In December 2023, the eruption of the Merapi volcano on the island of Sumatra killed 23 people.
In May, also in the vicinity of Merapi, at least 60 people died after heavy rain washed volcanic material into residential areas.
HE Indonesia is located on the so-called “ring of fire” of the Pacific, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity which registers around seven thousand earthquakes per year, most of them of low magnitude.
Source: Observadora
