Mount Lewotobi erupts in Bali, disrupting travel as ash plumes reach 11 km

Bali, Indonesia: Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki had a large eruption on Tuesday afternoon which sent ash over 11 km into the air. This eruption has caused great travel chaos in the islands of and around Bali. It led to the canceling and rescheduling of many international and domestic flights with authorities describing it as a natural event with no loss of life reported as of now. 

According to authorities, the eruption occurred at 5:35 in the morning. The volcano’s alert status was put to the highest level by the National Volcanology Agency. Also, the residents of Bali have been advised to avoid activities within a 7 km radius around the affected areas.

Notably, Lewotobi Laki-Laki has seen recent increased activity. The volcano had an eruption in May and also had a fatal outburst in November which left nine dead and put large scale evacuation measures in place. 

Indonesia is home to the Pacific Ring of Fire which is very active in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. As emergency teams stand by, there may be more disruption until the volcanic action dies down in the coming days.

Safety Measures put in place

Moreover, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency has initiated evacuation in at least one village. They have also advised the residents to put on face masks and to stay clear of volcanic ash. The Geology Agency has also warned of possible lahar floods - very dangerous mudslides or debris flow of volcanic material in the event of heavy rain.

The authorities have asked the residents around the volcano “to evacuate to safe locations" as tremors are still being detected around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, indicating the ongoing volcanic activity.

Furthermore, about 20 flights had been canceled by midday Wednesday at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Among the affected airlines were Air India, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Juneyao Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Australia. Also, the authorities at the airport reported that a number of AirAsia flights which were to leave for Flores had been cancelled due to the erupting volcano.