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
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 locatedon 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.
