Indonesia’s Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted on Sunday, releasing a column of smoke and ash 2.5 miles (4km) into the sky, triggering a flight warning and the closure of the local airport.
There were no reports of injuries or damage from the eruption in a remote part of the south-east Asian archipelago. But authorities raised the volcano’s alert status to its second-highest level as they warned of possible lava flows.
A 1.2-mile no-go zone around the crater was also expanded to 2.5 miles, while flights were advised to steer clear of the area as volcanic ash rained down on Wunopitu airport in East Nusa Tenggara, which was temporarily closed.
“People are advised to not carry out any activities within a 4km radius from the crater,” Indonesia’s geological agency said.
Indonesia is home to about 130 active volcanoes due to its position on the Ring of Fire, a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs.
In late 2018, Anak Krakatau, a volcano in the strait between Java and Sumatra islands, erupted and caused an underwater landslide that unleashed a tsunami, killing more than 400 people.