Volcano in eastern Indonesia erupts, thousands evacuated

Nearly 2800 people from at least 28 villages were evacuated from the slopes of Mount Ili Lewotolok. Image / Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management / Twitter

A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Sunday (Monday NZT), sending a column of ash as high as 4000m into the sky and prompting the evacuation of thousands of people.

Nearly 2800 people from at least 28 villages were evacuated from the slopes of Mount Ili Lewotolok, which is located on Lembata island of East Nusa Tenggara province, as the volcano began erupting, said Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Raditya Jati.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries from the eruption.

The Transportation Ministry said a flight warning had been issued after the eruption and a local airport had been closed as ash rained down on many areas of the island.

Mount Ili Lewotolok has been erupting off and on since October 2017. The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre raised the volcano's alert level to the second-highest level on Sunday after sensors picked up increasing activity.

#Indonesia's Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted today, throws up smoke four kilometres in the air#volcano pic.twitter.com/IpbrhOuocG

— MBC TV ODISHA (@MBCTVODISHA) November 29, 2020

The 5423m mountain is one of three erupting in Indonesia, along with Merapi on Java island and Sinabung on Sumatra island.

They are among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire".

Local airport closed as Mount Ili Lewotolok erupts in a remote part of the Southeast Asian @AJEnglish https://t.co/LLFYE3TpNn pic.twitter.com/ED6sZwF9OP

— EVEN PARIS EURO NEWS🇫🇷🇪🇺⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (@Karkouch3) November 29, 2020

After the eruption, the Disaster Mitigation Agency advised villagers and climbers to stay 4km from the crater and be aware of the risks of lava.