Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts as seen from Boru village in East Nusa Tenggara on Sep 22, 2025. (File photo: AFP/Arnold Welianto)

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts, forcing airport to close

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki falls under Indonesia's second-highest alert level for volcanic activity, with a 5km exclusion zone in force around its crater.

05 Jun 2026, 06:17 · CNA · Join

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JAKARTA: A highly active volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted several times on Friday (Jun 5), spewing towering ash columns into the sky and forcing a local airport to close, authorities said.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores Island erupted at 11.15am, sending volcanic material 2.5km into the air, the national volcanology agency said in a statement.

It came after several other eruptions earlier on Friday.

Lewotobi Laki-Laki falls under Indonesia's second-highest alert level for volcanic activity, with a 5km exclusion zone in force around its crater.

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The volcanology agency said residents near rivers should also remain on alert for hazardous floods of volcanic material, known as lahar, if heavy rain occurs.

Authorities have suspended operations at a local airport in the town of Maumere, about 60km west of Lewotobi Laki-Laki, affecting five domestic flights, airport head Partahian Panjaitan told AFP.

Laki-Laki means "man" in Indonesian, and the 1,584m volcano is twinned with a calmer 1,703m one named Perempuan after the Indonesian word for "woman".

Last July, Lewotobi Laki-Laki spewed a colossal 18km tower of ash, forcing the cancellation of 24 flights at the international airport on the resort island of Bali.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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