Mount Ili Lewotolok in Indonesia erupted on Friday, belching a tower of smoke and ash nearly kilometers into the sky and prompting authorities to impose a restricted zone in the area.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the eruption, which sent a tower of volcanic smoke 700 meters (0.4 miles) high in a remote area of the Southeast Asian island nation.
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But authorities imposed a two-kilometer exclusion zone around the crater in East Nusa Tenggara province and advised nearby residents to wear masks to avoid respiratory problems, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
Sugeng Mujiyanto, head of the state’s geological body, warned residents in a statement to be aware of “potential danger from lava flows and hot clouds”.
The last volcanic eruption
The volcano’s last major eruption occurred in late 2020, prompting flight warnings and closing local airports as thousands were forced to flee their homes.
Ili Lewotolok’s alert status remains at the third-highest level after Friday’s eruption and authorities have not yet ordered an evacuation.
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Indonesia is home to around 130 active volcanoes due to its position on the “Ring of Fire”, a tectonic plate boundary belt that surrounds the Pacific Ocean where seismic activity often occurs.
In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra erupted, causing an underwater landslide that triggered a tsunami that killed more than 400 people.
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