Volcanic eruption in Indonesia kills 6 people and damages monastery

At least six people were killed after a volcano erupted several times at night on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia, UNN reports citing The Independent.

Details

The Livotobi Laki-Laki volcano spewed thick brown ash up to 2 km high at night, with hot ash settling on several nearby villages.

Several houses, as well as a convent of Catholic nuns, burned down, said Firman Yosef, an official at the Levotobi Laki-Laki volcano monitoring post.

Authorities reported that at least 10,000 people were affected by the eruption in the Wulangitang area, in six nearby villages.

Volcanic material was ejected up to 6 km from the mountain's crater.

The volcano erupted several times, forcing officials to raise its hazard level to the highest and double the radius of the "exclusion zone" to 7 km.

One of the victims was a nun from the village of Hokeng, and another from the monastery went missing.

"Our nuns ran out of the rain of volcanic ash in a panic in the dark," said Agusta Palma, head of the St. Gabriel Foundation, which oversees monasteries on the predominantly Catholic island.

Photos and videos on social media showed damaged and ash-covered houses as rescuers carried out bags of bodies.

The Disaster Management Agency said they were still assessing the extent of casualties and damage, and local media reported that more people were buried in destroyed homes.

Initially, it was assumed that nine people were killed, but the agency lowered the number to six.

Addendum

Indonesia, located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is home to 120 active volcanoes and frequently experiences seismic and volcanic activity.

In October 2024, the Marapi volcano in West Sumatra erupted, producing thick columns of ash that covered nearby villages, although no casualties were reported. Earlier this year, in April, Mount Ruang erupted, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people and raising fears of possible tsunamis.