The highest alert level has been declared for the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia after a new eruption on Wednesday, authorities said.
• Also read: Indonesia: At least 22 dead in Marapi volcano eruption
After weeks of increased activity at the volcano and an initial evacuation order in early January, volcanic ash was projected two kilometers above its summit on Wednesday, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards Mitigation (PVMBG).
“Communities are urged to evacuate immediately to safe locations to avoid hot ash (from the volcano),” local official Benedictus Bolibapa Herin told AFP on Wednesday.
Local authorities have opened two emergency shelters, currently housing around 5,000 people, Mr Herin added, while 2,000 people had been evacuated as of January 2.
The alert level was raised to 4, the highest threshold, and a security perimeter of 5 km was established around the crater, the PVMBG said.
Residents urged to wear masks to protect themselves “from respiratory hazards” also need to be alert to possible flooding as volcanic mudslides flow into rivers, PVMBG director Hendra Gunawan said in a news release.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the collision of continental plates results in significant volcanic and seismic activity. The country has almost 130 active volcanoes.
The alert level was also raised to Level 3 on Tuesday for Mount Marapi on the large island of Sumatra in western Indonesia, where an eruption of that volcano killed 23 hikers last month.
An exclusion circle of 4.5 km was established around the volcano's crater.