2025-08-02T04:19:00Z

---

JAKARTA, Indonesia — It’s hard to believe, but the ground is shaking and the sky is lighting up in Indonesia as Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of the country’s most notorious volcanoes, erupted not once but twice in less than five hours this past weekend! Imagine a fiery monster, spewing ash and lava, reaching heights of 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the atmosphere, blanketing nearby villages in a thick layer of volcanic debris. The sheer force of nature is both mesmerizing and terrifying.

Early Saturday morning, an eruption sent volcanic materials rocketing skyward, while the previous evening’s explosion had already filled the air with ash clouds climbing to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). The night sky lit up with a dazzling display of glowing lava and dangerous bolts of lightning, painting a vivid picture of nature’s raw power and unpredictability.

Indonesia’s Geology Agency had their hands full as they tracked the aftermath. They reported a harrowing avalanche of gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava surging down the volcano’s slopes, traveling up to 5 kilometers (3 miles). Drone footage unveiled deep magma movements, sending tremors that rattled seismic monitors. It's a stark reminder that beneath the surface, the Earth is alive, restless, and can be deadly.

But it doesn't end there. Volcanic materials, including hot thumb-sized gravel, were hurled as far as 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater, coating the surrounding towns and villages in a thick layer of ash. Can you imagine waking up to find your home covered in a hot, gray blanket of volcanic residue? The authorities have warned residents to stay alert, especially with heavy rainfall threatening to trigger dangerous lava flows from the rivers that originate from the volcano.

This eruption marks one of Indonesia’s most significant volcanic events since the catastrophic eruption of Mount Merapi in 2010, which claimed over 350 lives and forced countless evacuations. Just a month prior, another eruption had already disrupted air travel in Bali, leading to dozens of canceled flights as roads and rice fields were submerged in mud and rocks.

Located on the remote island of Flores, Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki stands at a formidable 1,584 meters (5,197 feet). It has been under the highest alert level since its first eruption on June 18, with the exclusion zone around the volcano expanded to a staggering 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius due to the increasing frequency of its eruptions.

The Indonesian government isn’t taking any chances. After a series of deadly eruptions last November that left nine people dead and destroyed thousands of homes, they permanently relocated thousands of residents from the dangerous vicinity. Indonesia itself is a land of extremes, home to over 280 million people living in the shadow of 120 active volcanoes. It sits along the infamous “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped area known for its seismic activity, reminding everyone that nature’s fury is always just beneath the surface.