Indonesia raises alert to highest level for Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano

Indonesia raised the alert level of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki to the highest after it erupted eight times over the weekend, Reuters reports, citing its volcanology agency.

Lewotobi Laki Laki, located on Flores island in eastern Indonesia, spewed volcanic ash between 1.86 and 3.42 miles high on Sunday, agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement late Sunday.

“Our analysis showed that the activities of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki are still high so we raised the status level starting on Sunday” at 8 p.m. (9 a.m. ET), he said.

Images shared by the agency showed clouds of thick gray ash billowing from the crater. Rumbling noises with low to high intensity were heard from the nearest monitoring post during the eruption, Wafid added.

On Monday morning, the volcano erupted again, belching ash clouds three-quarters of a mile high.

The agency said a radius of more than 3.5 miles from the crater must be cleared and warned residents of the risk of cold lava flow from the crater once heavy rains took place.