Volcano eruption burns homes, killing at least 10 on Indonesian island

Maumere, Indonesia — Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said Monday that astatine slightest 10 group had died arsenic a bid of volcanic eruptions widens connected nan distant land of Flores. The eruption astatine Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki astir midnight spewed heavy brownish ash arsenic precocious arsenic 6,500 feet into nan aerial and basking ashes deed respective villages, burning down houses including a convent of Catholic nuns, said Firman Yosef, an charismatic astatine nan Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki monitoring post.

Yosef said volcanic worldly was thrown up to 3.7 miles from nan volcano's crater, blanketing adjacent villages and towns pinch tons of volcanic debris and forcing residents to flee.

Rescuers were still searching for much bodies buried nether collapsed houses, said Abdul Muhari, nan National Disaster Management Agency's spokesperson. Muhari said each nan bodies, including a child, were recovered pinch a 2.4-mile radius of nan crater. He said astatine slightest 10,000 group had been affected by nan eruption successful six villages.

Search and rescue teams behaviour an operation, removing nan remains of a victim, aft a volcanic eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki connected Flores Island, Indonesia, Nov. 4, 2024. BASARNAS-National Search and Rescue/Anadolu/Getty

Some group fled to relatives' houses while nan section authorities was readying schools to usage arsenic impermanent shelters.

The country's volcano monitoring agency accrued nan volcano's alert position to nan highest level and much than doubled nan removal area to a 4.3-mile radius aft midnight connected Monday arsenic eruptions became much frequent.

A nun successful Hokeng colony died and different was missing, said Agusta Palma, nan caput of nan Saint Gabriel Foundation that oversees convents connected nan majority-Catholic island.

"Our nuns ran retired successful panic nether a rainfall of volcanic ash successful nan darkness," Palma said.

Photos and videos circulated connected societal media showed tons of volcanic debris covering houses up to their rooftops successful villages including Hokeng, wherever basking volcanic worldly group occurrence to buildings.

An infographic shows nan location of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, a volcano that erupted connected Indonesia's Flores Island connected Nov. 3, 2024, spewing explosive plumes of lava into nan aerial and forcing authorities to evacuate adjacent villages. Yasin Demirci/Anadolu/Getty

Lewotobi Laki-laki is 1 of a brace of stratovolcanoes successful nan East Flores territory of East Nusa Tenggara  province known locally arsenic nan hubby — "Laki-laki" intends man — and woman mountains. Its mate is Lewotobi Perempuan, aliases woman.

About 6,500 group were evacuated successful January aft Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki began erupting, spewing heavy clouds and forcing nan authorities to adjacent nan island's Frans Seda Airport. No casualties aliases awesome harm were reported, but nan airdrome has remained closed since past owed to seismic activity.

In a video convention connected Monday, Muhammad Wafid, nan caput of Geology Agency astatine nan Energy and Mineral Resources ministry said location was a different characteristic betwixt January's eruption and Monday's eruption owed to a blockage of magma successful nan crater, which reduced detectible seismic activity while building up pressure.

A building destroyed by a volcanic eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, connected Flores Island, Indonesia, Nov. 4, 2024. BASARNAS - National Search and Rescue Agency/Anadolu/Getty

"The eruptions that occurred since Friday were owed to nan accumulation of hidden energy," Wafid said.

It's Indonesia's 2nd volcanic eruption successful arsenic galore weeks. West Sumatra province's Mount Marapi, 1 of nan country's astir progressive volcanos, erupted connected Oct. 27, spewing heavy columns of ash astatine slightest 3 times and blanketing adjacent villages pinch debris, but nary casualties were reported. An eruption of Mount Marapi astatine nan extremity of 2023 did claim astatine slightest 23 lives.

Lewotobi Laki-laki is 1 of nan 120 progressive volcanoes successful Indonesia, an archipelago federation that's location to immoderate 280 cardinal people. The state is prone to earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity because it sits connected nan "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped bid of seismic responsibility lines astir nan Pacific Ocean.

In:
• Volcano
• Eruption
• Asia
• Indonesia