What you need to know about the explosions on Lewotobi Laki Laki Mountain in Indonesia, which killed 9 people

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A series of volcanic eruptions on Mount Lewotobi Laki on Indonesia’s remote Flores island killed nine people and injured dozens more as buildings collapsed and terrified residents ran for their lives in the darkness.

Monday’s explosions affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages. About 4,400 villagers were moved to temporary emergency shelters after the explosion destroyed seven schools, nearly two dozen houses and a monastery on the mostly Catholic island.

Authorities on Wednesday provided tons of logistics and relief supplies to displaced people and warned thousands of people who had fled not to return to their homes as rescue teams, police and soldiers continued to comb devastated villages for survivors, although no missing persons were reported.

Here’s a closer look at the explosion and its aftermath.

How many active volcanoes are there in Indonesia?

The 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) Lewotobi Laki Mount Laki is one of 120 active volcanoes in the country. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity because it lies along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center has recorded 4,796 volcanic eruptions across the vast archipelagic nation since January. Mount Ibu in North Maluku province has erupted 1,930 times, Mount Semeru in East Java province has erupted 1,634 times, and Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki has erupted 872 times.

Lewotobi Laki About 6,500 people were evacuated in January after Mount Laki began erupting, sending up thick clouds and forcing the government to close the island’s Frans Seda Airport. No casualties or major damage were reported, but the airport has remained closed since then due to seismic activity.

Why was the last volcanic eruption so powerful?

Muhammad Wafid, who heads the geology department at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki had been erupting up to six times almost every day since January, but its activity dropped dramatically in early November.

Wafid said the analysis showed there was a magma blockage in the crater that reduced detectable seismic activity and increased pressure.

“The eruptions that have occurred since Friday were caused by latent energy accumulation,” Wafid said, adding that the agency recommended raising the volcano’s alert status to the highest level.

“There is currently no technology that can determine when a volcanic eruption will occur and how large the eruption will be,” he said. will be.”

How common are deadly explosions in Indonesia?

Most explosions in Indonesia are small and cause little or no damage, but some can be fatal.

Mount Marapi erupted in December 2023, killing 24 climbers and injuring others who were caught in its sudden eruption over the weekend. Since then, two climbing routes on the mountain have been closed. Five months later, monsoon rains caused mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi to trigger landslides, causing rivers to burst their banks. The flood ravaged mountainous villages, washing away people and dozens of homes, leaving 67 people dead.

The December 2021 eruption of Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on the densely populated island of Java, left 48 people dead and 36 missing in villages buried in layers of mud. Mount Merapi also erupted in 2010, killing 347 people and displacing 20,000 villagers.

The monumental eruption of the Krakatau volcano in 1883 triggered a period of global cooling.