At least 10 people are dead after a volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted multiple times overnight, spewing fireballs and ash on surrounding villages.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-metre (5,587-feet) twin volcano located on the popular tourist island of Flores, first erupted shortly before midnight on Sunday, forcing authorities to evacuate several villages.
Footage posted on social media showed villages near the volcano covered by thick ash, with some areas on fire.
Residents described their horror when the crater started to shoot flaming rocks at their homes.
“I was asleep when suddenly the bed shook twice, as if someone had slammed it. Then I realised the volcano had erupted, so I ran outside,” said 32-year-old hairdresser Hermanus Mite.
“I saw flames coming out and immediately fled. There were ashes and stones everywhere. My salon also caught fire and everything inside was lost.”
Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the country’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), confirmed the death toll at a press conference, adding that 10,295 people had been affected by the eruptions.
The country’s volcanology agency has raised the alert level to the highest mark, and told locals and tourists not to carry out activities within a seven-kilometre (4.3-mile) radius of the crater.
“There has been a significant increase in volcanic activity on Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki,” it said in a press release on Monday.
It warned there was a potential for rain-induced lava floods and told locals to wear masks to avoid the effects of volcanic ash.
The mountain had several major eruptions in January, prompting authorities at the time to raise the alert status to the highest level and evacuate at least 2,000 residents.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent eruptions due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area of intense volcanic and seismic activity.
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