Indonesia volcano spews 18-kilometer ash tower: agency

Villagers observe Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki as it erupts, as seen from Nangahale village in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara on July 7, 2025. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 07 July 2025
Follow

Indonesia volcano spews 18-kilometer ash tower: agency

  • Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584-meter-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 11:05 a.m. local time
  • Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate

JAKARTA: A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted, spewing a colossal ash tower 18 kilometers into the sky on Monday, authorities said, just weeks after it caused dozens of flight cancelations to and from the popular resort island of Bali.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584-meter-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 11:05 a.m. local time (0305 GMT), the volcanology agency said in a statement.

“An eruption of Lewotobi Laki-Laki Volcano occurred... with the observed ash column height reaching approximately 18,000 m above the summit,” the agency said.

It warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods – a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials – if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near rivers.

There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.

Last month dozens of flights to and from Bali were canceled after the volcano erupted. Volcanic ash rained down on several communities around the volcano and forced the evacuation of at least one village.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancelation of scores of international flights to Bali.

There were no immediate reports of canceled flights after Monday’s eruption.

Laki-Laki, which means man in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) volcano named Perempuan, after the Indonesian word for woman.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”


Danish forces evacuate US submarine crew member off Greenland

Updated 2 sec ago
Follow

Danish forces evacuate US submarine crew member off Greenland

NUUK: Danish forces evacuated a crew member from a US submarine off the coast of Greenland on Saturday after the sailor required urgent medical treatment, authorities said.
Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command, which oversees Danish operations in the region, said in a post on Facebook the crew member was flown to a hospital in Nuuk after a medical emergency on board the vessel.
Officials did not disclose the nature of the medical issue or give details about the submarine’s mission.
Images posted online appeared to show the sail of a submarine surfacing in Nuuk’s bay, though AFP could not immediately verify the footage.
Since returning to the White House last year, US President Donald Trump has argued that Washington needs to control mineral-rich Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory — for American national security.
Last month, Trump backed down from earlier threats to seize the Arctic island after striking a “framework” deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.