At least nine people have died after the Levotobi Laki-Laki volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted yesterday, forcing authorities to evacuate nearby villages, Reuters reported, citing BTA. .
The volcano located on the island of Flores erupted at 23:57 local time (17:57 Bulgarian), spewing lava, volcanic ash and rocks.
“After the eruption, there was a power outage and then there was a thunderstorm, causing panic among locals,” a spokesman for Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards Management said today. The agency recommended the evacuation of residents within a seven-kilometer radius of the crater. Lava has reached nearby villages, burning houses,” Hadi added.
Indonesia is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity at the edge of multiple tectonic plates. The current eruption follows a series of active volcanoes across the country.