Flights cancelled in Indonesia after volcano eruption unleashes massive cloud of hot ash
A volcano has erupted in Indonesia, unleashing a massive cloud of hot ash.
The Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewed a towering 6.8 miles-high cloud of ash into the air.
The mushroom-shaped cloud could be seen from cities located up to 90 miles from the mountain in the East Nusa Tenggara province.
The eruption on Tuesday afternoon caused authorities to raise the alert level of the volcano to the most dangerous, and warning of heavy rainfall potentially triggering lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.
The danger zone was expanded to about five miles from the crater following significant volcanic activity.
No casualties have been reported.
Several flights from India, Singapore, and Australia to Bali by carriers Singapore Airlines, its budget subsidiary Scoot, and Qantas' Jetstar were cancelled.
The Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere in the East Nusa Tenggara province will be closed until Thursday due to the eruption, Indonesian authorities said.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki last erupted in May, with authorities raising the alert level to the most severe.
An eruption in November killed nine and injured dozens, while one in March caused flight disruptions and cancellations for flights to Bali.
The 5,197 ft-high mountain is a twin volcano with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in the Flores Timur district.
They are part of Indonesia's 120 active volcanoes sitting along the so-called Ring of Fire, which is a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines in the Pacific Basin, causing frequent volcanic activity in the region.
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