Mount Lewotobi Erupts: Catastrophe on Flores Island

A series of volcanic eruptions on Indonesia's Flores Island has claimed at least nine lives, prompting the Disaster Management Agency to elevate the alert level. The danger zone around Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki has been expanded, as eruptions spewing ash up to 6,500 feet became more frequent.

A deadly series of volcanic eruptions has wreaked havoc on Indonesia's remote Flores Island, resulting in the tragic loss of at least nine lives. The eruptions prompted authorities to raise the alarm on Monday, warning residents and expanding the danger zone significantly.

Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki's alert status has been heightened to its highest level by the country's volcanology agency. The exclusion zone has been more than doubled to a 7-kilometer radius due to increasingly frequent eruptions spewing thick brownish ash.

In a particularly severe eruption shortly after midnight, the volcano emitted ash reaching up to 6,500 feet. Hot ashes descended upon a village, devastating multiple houses, including a convent of Catholic nuns, as reported by Firman Yosef from the monitoring post.

(With inputs from agencies.)