By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-03-21 09:28:18 | Updated at 2025-04-05 04:51:54
2 weeks ago
JAKARTA - An eruption of Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spewed ash clouds more than 8km high, the authorities said, as they raised the alert status to the highest level and an Australian airline cancelled some flights into Bali on March 21.
The large eruption of the volcano in East Nusa Tenggara province on the night of March 20 followed dozens of smaller ones since March 13, the national geological agency said in a statement.
A disaster mitigation agency spokesman told Reuters one person was injured during evacuations. He did not immediately have details on the size or logistics of the evacuations.
Jetstar, Qantas Airways’ low-cost subsidiary, cancelled its flights between Australia and Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on the morning of March 21 because of the volcanic ash, but said flights were expected to resume in the afternoon.
A Bali airport spokesperson said the airport was still operating, with seven international flights cancelled on the morning of March 21 and some domestic flights delayed.
According to Changi Airport’s website, some flights between Bali and Singapore have been delayed or re-timed. These include flights operated by Singapore Airlines, its low-cost carrier Scoot and Jetstar.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, Scoot said flights TR284, TR285, TR258 and TR259 have been re-timed due to volcanic ash activity from the eruption.
“Scoot has reached out to affected customers via the contact details provided to inform them of the changes to their flights,” it said.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority. We will continue to monitor the situation and will adjust our flight schedule as necessary.”
At least nine people were killed and thousands were evacuated when the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupted in November 2024, pelting nearby villages with hot rocks and lava flows.
It was not immediately clear how many residents were affected by the eruption on March 20. The Indonesian authorities had said in November that they aimed to permanently relocate them.
The geological agency warned of lava floods and said there were smaller eruptions early on March 21.
Indonesia has close to 130 active volcanoes and sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates. REUTERS
- Additional reporting by Gabrielle Andres
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