Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Monday, sending a massive ash plume soaring roughly 18 kilometres into the sky. According to officials, this marks the volcano’s third eruption in 2025. Thankfully, there have been no reports of casualties or damage so far.
The eruption was at 11:05 am local time on the island of Flores, where the twin-peaked volcano rises to 1,584 metres. In a statement, Indonesia’s volcanology agency confirmed, “An eruption of Lewotobi Laki-Laki Volcano took place. with the height of the observed ash column reaching around 18,000 m above the summit.”
Experts have also warned residents of the threat of deadly lahar floods, rapid flows of volcanic debris that may form if a heavy downpour occurs in the region.
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Previous Eruptions
This recent activity follows only weeks after the June eruption of the volcano, which had prompted the cancellation of many flights to and from Bali. It was this eruption that had officials elevate the volcano’s alert status to its highest level on June 18 and widen the exclusion area to a 7-kilometre (4.3-mile) radius.
In June, villages near the volcano had to be evacuated when ash covered the area. When this volcano erupted, the cloud of ash measured at least 10 kilometres high.
Previous to that, in November 2024, an eruption by the same volcano resulted in some nine fatalities and injured some others.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki is matched with a higher neighbouring volcano called Perempuan, which stands at 1,703 metres and has less volcanic activity. Located on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ Indonesia is subject to regular volcanic eruptions as a result of the geologically active environment.