Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewed towering columns of hot ash more than 6 miles into the air, triggering the highest possible volcano alert and causing significant flight cancellations.
One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes east of Bali erupted at 5.35pm local time on Tuesday and unleashed 10,000m (about 32,800ft) of grey clouds in the air that could be seen from 150km away.
Indonesia's Geology Agency expanded the danger zone surrounding the volcano to 8km from the crater and warned residents to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows.
The volcanic activity forced dozens of flights to Bali to be cancelled on Wednesday, with many airlines saying they were closely following the developments.
Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Air New Zealand confirmed cancellations of planes flying out of Bali airport.
Air India, Singapore’s TigerAir and China’s Juneyao Airlines also suspended flight operations “due to volcano”, Bali’s international airport said.
It forced dozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano to evacuate their houses, officials at the local disaster mitigation agency said.
An eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki – a 1,584m (5,197ft) mountain – in November killed nine people and injured dozens. It also erupted in May.
Key Points
- Highest alert issued after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts
- Dozens of Bali flights cancelled after Mount Lewotobi eruption
- Two villages near volcano evacuated, officials say
Massive hot ash clouds complicating access to affected areas, disaster agency says
11:50 , Shweta SharmaIndonesia’s national disaster agency said the rapid spread of hot ash clouds had complicated access to affected areas, with darkness, ash rain, and gravel posing challenges for response teams.
The ash fell as far as 7km away from the crater, prompting the staff at a monitoring post to evacuate to a church 1.2km away, the National Disaster Management Agency said on X.
It said the ash fall was reported in villages outside the Disaster-Prone Area radius, including Boru, Hewa, and Watobuku.
The agency raised the volcano's status to the highest level three due to the eruption.
Residents near Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki were advised to beware of potential volcanic mudflow in rivers originating from the volcano's peak, especially in areas like Dulipali, Padang Pasir, Nobo, Nurabelen, Klatanlo, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, and Nawakote, if heavy rain occurred.
New Zealand, India, Australia and Malaysia among countries facing travel chaos
11:20 , Shweta SharmaDozens of flights Wednesday were canceled, including those connecting Bali to cities in Australia, Malaysia, India and China, according to the website of Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Flights were cancelled as volcanic ash can pose a risk to plane engines.Flights also were canceled to and from the international airport in Labuan Bajo another tourist destination in Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara province. The airport is still operating.
The cancelations and delays affected thousands of travelers.
Australian carrier Jetstar, which flies daily between the tourist hotspot and several Australian cities, said the ash cloud was forecast to clear by late Wednesday and its services would be rescheduled.
Air New Zealand cancelled one return trip to Auckland and would rebook customers on the next available service, the airline said in a statement Wednesday.
Flights to New Delhi, Singapore and Pudong, China, were also cancelled due to the volcano, according to information on the website for Denpasar airport in Bali.
Officials record 50 tremors in 2 hours as Lewotobi volcano erupts
10:50 , Stuti MishraIndonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki produced more than 50 tremors in just two hours before it erupted, far exceeding its usual 8–10 daily events, according to the country’s geological agency.
Officials said this marks the most intense activity recorded at the volcano in recent months. While similar eruptions were observed in May, this latest episode has dwarfed them in intensity and frequency.
The 1,584-metre volcano is part of a twin system with the taller Mount Lewotobi Perempuan (1,703 metres) in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province.
A series of eruptions from the Lewotobi complex last November killed nine people and injured dozens. Thousands were forced to evacuate as falling ash blanketed villages and disrupted air travel, including international flights to Bali.
Ash and debris falling outside danger zone after eruption
10:20 , Shweta SharmaAsh and debris are falling in a number of places outside the danger zone, the National Disaster Management Agency said.
The villages affected by the falling ashes and debries are Boru, Hewa and Watobuku.
Some residents from Nurabelen village in Ile Bura subdistrict fled to evacuation sites in Konga to avoid the impact of the eruption, it said.
“Some residents have also evacuated to Nileknoheng village, which is 12kms (7.4 miles) from the crater,” said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Management Agency’s spokesperson.
The danger zone was expanded to 8km from the crater after the eruption.
Air India Delhi to Bali flight returns due to eruption
09:51 , Stuti MishraAn Air India flight coming from Delhi to Bali was forced to return to the Indian capital today after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted, the airline said in a statement.
The flight safely landed back in Delhi and all passengers have been disembarked, Air India said in the statement.
"Air India flight AI2145 on June 18 from Delhi to Bali was advised to air return to Delhi due to reports of volcanic eruption near destination airport Bali, in the interest of safety," it said.
Passengers have been provided with hotel accomodation, Air India said, adding that full refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling has also been offered to the passengers.
Villages near volcano evacuated, officials say
08:55 , Shweta SharmaDozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano have been evacuated after the eruption of one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, a National Disaster Mitigation Agency official said.
Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency told Reuters that the villagers had been evacuated.
"Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand," she said, adding no casualties were reported.
Remaining residents were warned to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.
Why is Indonesia the hottest spot on the Ring of Fire?
08:12 , Shweta SharmaIndonesia has approximately 130 active volcanoes. Due to its population density and the fertile soils that volcanic slopes provide, hundreds of thousands of Indonesians live close to active volcanos. They have learnt to live with the rumblings and frequently ignore orders to leave.
The huge archipelago sits between the most active seismic region in the world, the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur, and the Alpide Belt.
The United States Geological Survey has described the region as among the most seismically active zones in the world. The Ring of Fire, or the circum-Pacific belt, is the world’s greatest earthquake belt, according to Live Science, because of fault lines running from Chile to Japan and Southeast Asia.
These fault lines are breaks in the plates of the Earth’s crust and are where earthquakes are likely to occur.
The Pacific Ring of Fire is also home to 453 volcanoes and more than half of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes are found here.
Indonesia is located between the Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian tectonic plates. When one of the plates moves, it causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and even tsunamis in Indonesia and the surrounding areas.
Katherine Cashman, a professor of Volcanology at Bristol University explained: "Indonesia lies on a subduction zone, where one plate dives under the other. Subduction causes big earth quakes and volcanoes. It’s also quite a complex set of subduction zones.
"The earth is divided into plates, which are semi rigid, but they do move sometimes and interact with each other. Indonesia has the unlucky circumstance of being on a very major plate boundary, and particularly under Java, you have one plate diving directly under another plate, so as it dives under it starts to produce melt that comes up as a volcano."
Everything we know about the major volcanic eruption in Indonesia
07:51 , Shweta Sharma- Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in East Flores, Indonesia, erupted at 5.35pm local time on Tuesday.
- The eruption spewed out a massive ash column exceeding 10km in height and sent hot ash clouds spreading in all directions.
- The ash column could be seen from 90-150km away.
- The ash expanded into a mushroom-shaped cloud, affecting areas far beyond the immediate vicinity of the volcano.
- Rapid response teams reported challenges due to darkness, ash rain and gravel, which hindered access and information gathering.
- There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
- The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised the volcano's status to the highest level four after record seismic activity.
- The danger zone was expanded to 8km from the crater.
- Residents were advised to be aware of potential lahar floods in rivers originating from the volcano's peak, particularly in areas like Dulipali, Padang Pasir, Nobo, Nurabelen, Klatanlo, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, and Nawakote, if heavy rain occurred.
- A number of flights to and from Bali international airport and other airports around the volcano were cancelled, disrupting travel for thousands of people.
- At least two villages near the volcano were evacuated.
Over 20 flights cancelled from Bali airport and many delayed
07:11 , Shweta SharmaOver 20 flights have been cancelled in the aftermath of the volcano eruption, according to flight data from Bali’s international airport.
Several domestic flights and international flights leaving I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport have been cancelled.
Air India, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Juneyao Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia have cancelled their flights to the airport, distrupting travel for thousands of people and causing travel chaos.
The government closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere from Wednesday until Thursday "to ensure the safety of the passengers," said the airport operator AirNav in its Instagram post.
Japan confirms no tsunami threat from Indonesia volcano eruption
06:57 , Shweta SharmaJapan’s Meteorological Agency has confirmed that there is no tsunami threat to Japanese coastlines following a major volcanic eruption in Indonesia.
In a statement issued at 4 am on Wednesday, the agency reported no significant changes in sea levels at tidal observation points within or outside Japan.
According to the agency, Mount Lewotobi on Flores Island erupted at approximately 5.45pm local time local time, sending a volcanic plume soaring to an estimated 16,000m.
While large volcanic eruptions can occasionally generate tsunamis due to abrupt changes in atmospheric pressure, no such effects have been observed in this instance.
In pics: Streets filled with filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand
06:46 , Shweta SharmaThick sheets of grey ash covered the streets and roofs of houses around the villages near the volcano.
The eruption also forced local authorities to evacuate dozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano, Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency, told Reuters.
"Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand," she said, adding no casualties were reported.
JetStar says number of flights cancelled and more flights to be delayed
06:33 , Shweta SharmaMany international flights from India, Singapore and Australia to Bali were cancelled due to the eruption.
Qantas' low-cost carrier JetStar cancelled several morning flights to Bali from Australia and expects afternoon flights to be delayed.
"Due to volcanic ash caused by an eruption of Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia, a number of Jetstar flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled this morning," a Jetstar statement read.
"Impacted customers have been notified directly and provided a range of options. At this stage, forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight. As a result, this afternoon's flights will be delayed to operate later this evening.
"We are reaching out to customers on these flights to advise them of the delay. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will contact customers directly if there are any further changes to our schedule."
Mount Lewotobi's past eruptions have proved fatal and forced large-scale evacuations
06:25 , Shweta SharmaThe volcano eruption in the past has proved fatal for people residing in towns near the active volcano mountains.
In November 2024, at least nine people were killed and many injured after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki spewed thick brownish ash as high as 2,000m into the air and scattered searing lava, gravel and ash up to 7km from its crater.
At least 10,000 people were affected by the eruption across the six villages of Pululera, Nawokote, Hokeng Jaya, Klatanlo, Boru and Boru Kedang in Wulanggitang district.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of the two volcanic peaks that make up the Lewotobi twin volcano complex in East Flores, Indonesia, the other being Mount Lewotobi Perempuan.
Known for its periodic eruptions, Laki Laki, meaning “male” in Indonesian, is an active stratovolcano that has long posed a threat to nearby communities.
Its steep slopes and explosive activity make it particularly hazardous, often spewing ash, lava, and pyroclastic material.
Its remote location and limited access often make emergency response efforts challenging during major eruptions.
Massive hot ash clouds complicating access to affected areas, disaster agency says
05:51 , Shweta SharmaMassive hot ash clouds complicating rescue work, disaster agency saysIndonesia’s national disaster agency said the rapid spread of hot ash clouds had complicated access to affected areas, with darkness, ash rain, and gravel posing challenges for response teams.
The ash fell as far as 7km away from the crater, prompting the staff at a monitoring post to evacuate to a church 1.2km away, the National Disaster Management Agency said on X.
It said the ash fall was reported in villages outside the Disaster-Prone Area radius, including Boru, Hewa, and Watobuku.The agency raised the volcano's status to the highest level three due to the eruption.
Gunung Lewotobi Laki-laki, Kabupaten Flores Timur, Nusa Tenggara Timur kembali erupsi Selasa (17/6) pukul 17.50 WIB. Berdasarkan laporan visual yang dihimpun dari berbagai sumber, erupsi ditandai dengan munculnya awan panas terpantau menyebar ke segala arah. pic.twitter.com/nldxS4QszE
— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) June 18, 2025
Residents near Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki were advised to beware of potential volcanic mudflow in rivers originating from the volcano's peak, especially in areas like Dulipali, Padang Pasir, Nobo, Nurabelen, Klatanlo, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, and Nawakote, if heavy rain occurred.
In pictures: Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupts
05:23Pictures show the moment the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupted and stunned local residents with a towering column of ash rising in the sky.
The pictures also show residents in Talibura village in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggar, cleaning the volcanic ash from their roofs afterwards.
The ash expanded into a mushroom-shaped cloud that could be seen from cities located 90km to 150km from the mountain.
Video shows volcano spewing a huge mushroom cloud into air
05:07 , Shweta SharmaTwo villages near volcano evacuated, officials say
05:02 , Shweta SharmaDozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano have been evacuated after the eruption of one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, a National Disaster Mitigation Agency official said.
Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency told Reuters that the villagers had been evacuated.
"Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand," she said, adding no casualties were reported.
Remaining residents were warned to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.
Dozens of Bali flights cancelled after Mount Lewotobi eruption
04:55 , Shweta SharmaA number of flights to the Indonesian resort island of Bali were cancelled and operations at the airport in Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara province were suspended due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki laki, officials said on Wednesday.
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Several international flights from India, Singapore and Australia to Bali were hit due to the eruption, the Bali international airport website showed.
The government closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere from Wednesday until Thursday "to ensure the safety of the passengers,” said the airport operator AirNav in its Instagram post.
Highest alert issued after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts
04:42 , Shweta SharmaIndonesia raised its disaster alert level to the highest possible after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki began erupting on Tuesday.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki is located on the tourist island of Flores in eastern Indonesia, and the eruption sent a tower of hot ash and smoke reaching 10km high that was visible from 150km away.“
The height of the eruption column was observed at approximately 10,000 metres above the summit. The ash column was observed to be grey with thick intensity,” Indonesia's volcanology agency said, after its alert level was raised to the highest of a four-tiered system.
The eruption caused minor tremors around the volcano and forced the evacuation of at least one village, a spokesperson of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.
Alert raised to the highest level after Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts
08:28 , Shweta SharmaMount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano in south-central Indonesia erupted on Tuesday, spewing towering columns of hot ash into the air. Authorities raised the eruption alert to the highest level and expanded the danger zone to 8kms (about 5 miles) from the crater.
Indonesia’s Geology Agency said in a statement it recorded the volcano unleashing 10,000m (about 32,800ft) of thick grey clouds on Tuesday afternoon, following significant volcanic activities, including 50 in two hours, rather than the usual daily 8 to 10 activities.
The ashes expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud that could be seen from the cities located 90kms (about 56 miles) to 150kms (nearly 93 miles) from the mountain.
Alert raised to the highest level after Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupts
