Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupts; some Bali flights cancelled

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 two airlines cancelled some flights from 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.

Volcanic ash from the eruption blanketed several nearby villages on March 21.

At least two people were injured, including a man whose roof collapsed under volcanic debris, AFP reported a local official as saying.

The local government has declared a 14-day emergency and established a command post to coordinate response efforts, the country’s disaster agency spokesman, Mr Abdul Muhari, said in a statement on March 21.

Mr Abdul added that more than 4,700 residents have been evacuated as of March 21 and called on those remaining to find a safe location.

“The people are asked to remain in safe locations and follow directives from the regional government,” he said.

The authorities imposed an exclusion zone of between 7km and 8km around the volcano, Indonesia’s volcanology agency said in a statement.

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 – six Jetstar flights and one AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur – cancelled on the morning of March 21 and some domestic flights delayed.

According to Changi Airport’s website, some flights between Bali and Singapore were delayed or re-timed. These included 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 were 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.”

Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, said four of its flights between Singapore and Bali’s Denpasar were re-timed – SQ938, SQ937, SQ936 and SQ939. Other flights plying the route may also be affected, it said, adding that travellers are advised to visit its website for more information on the status of their flights.

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.

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, AFP