Villagers have been evacuated and flights grounded following a volcano erupted, spewing ash six miles into the air. Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted twice on Wednesday, first at 1:35 a.m. local time and again around eight hours later. The nearly 5,200-foot volcano sits in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, on the island of Flores. The island’s airport, Fransiskus Xaverius Seda, has closed operations until Thursday, it said on Instagram. Geological Agency boss Muhammad Wafid said there had been a “significant rise in the volcano’s activities.” He added, “People living near the volcano should be aware of the potential volcanic mudflow if heavy rain occurs.” Reuters reports that dozens of people from the surrounding villages have already been evacuated. Many left last year when 10 were killed in an eruption. People in a roughly 4-mile radius are being told to vacate, said Avelina Manggota Hallan, of the area’s disaster mitigation agency. There are concerns that flights to the local tourist hotspot, Bali, could also be affected, as they were in July and August, the last times it erupted.
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