Tag: eruption

Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupts, on highest alert level

JAKARTA, Jan 10, 2024 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted anew Wednesday, spewing ash clouds two kilometres (6,561 feet) above its peak as authorities raised the volcano’s alert status to the highest level. The eruption follows weeks of heightened volcanic activity on the mountain, located on eastern Indonesia’s Flores Island, and prompted the local government to issue an evacuation order for nearby residents. “The communities are urged to immediately evacuate to safe points to […]

Indonesia volcano death toll rises to 22 as search nears end

By Irwanda Saputra and Hendra Makmur AGAM, Indonesia, Dec 5, 2023 (AFP) – The death toll from a volcano eruption in Indonesia has risen to 22 after nine more bodies were discovered, a search and rescue agency official said Tuesday. Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra spewed an ash tower 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) — taller than the volcano itself — into the sky on Sunday. Hundreds of rescuers have worked for days to […]

Hikers evacuated as Indonesia volcano spews ash tower

PADANG, Indonesia, Dec 3, 2023 (AFP) – A volcano in western Indonesia erupted Sunday, belching a column of ash around three kilometres into the sky and forcing the evacuation of dozens of hikers, officials said. Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra, with a peak of 2,891 metres, is on the third-highest alert level of Indonesia’s four-step system and authorities imposed an exclusion zone around its crater. There were no immediate reports of damage or […]

Icelandic volcano could destroy town of Grindavik: experts

By Jeremie RICHARD REYKJAVIK, Nov 12, 2023 (AFP) – An Icelandic town home to some 4,000 people near the capital Reykjavik could be heavily damaged by a volcano expected to erupt within hours or days, experts said on Saturday. The town of Grindavik on the southwestern coast was evacuated in the early hours of Saturday after magma shifting under the Earth’s crust caused hundreds of earthquakes in what was believed to be a precursor to […]

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts again

LOS ANGELES, Sept 11, 2023 (AFP) – Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, one of the world’s most active, erupted again on Sunday, spewing fountains of lava more than 80 feet (24 meters) high. Kilauea began erupting at around 3:15 pm local time (0115 GMT Monday), the US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. “The eruption was preceded by a period of strong seismicity and rapid uplift of the summit,” it said. It is the third time the […]

Mayon volcano crater glows with “banaag”

Look:  Stunning night view of Mayon Volcano’s crater captured at approximately 7:00 PM tonight, June 9, 2023. The summit lava dome is adorned with a radiant glow, known as “banaag.” Throughout the day, the Mayon Volcano Network has detected 28 smaller rockfall events and zero volcanic earthquakes since 5:00 AM.

Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano erupts, spews huge ash column

JAKARTA, June 9, 2023 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano erupted on Friday, belching a column of ash more than three kilometres into the sky, officials said. The volcanic island emerged from the sea at the beginning of the last century from the crater formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa — one of the deadliest and most destructive in history. Anak Krakatoa, which means “Child of Krakatoa”, spewed thick ash over the strait […]

Philippines on alert as volcano spews ash

MANILA, June 8, 2023 (AFP) – Philippine scientists said that a “hazardous eruption” of a volcano in the archipelago could be days or weeks away, and urged the evacuation of nearby residents from their homes. Hundreds of families living around Mount Mayon in central Albay province are expected to be moved to safer areas after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alarm. Mayon, a near-perfect cone located about 330 kilometres (205 miles) […]

Hawaii volcano erupts again

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2023 (AFP) – One of the world’s most active volcanoes has erupted again, with lava spewing from Kilauea in Hawaii on Wednesday. Footage showed fissures have opened up at the base of a crater on the volcano, which regularly springs to life, with vulcanologists calling the eruption “dynamic.” Scientists at the United States Geological Survey said they began detecting activity early on Wednesday morning, all well within the confines of the […]

Mexico keeps close watch on ash-spewing volcano

SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – A volcano southeast of the Mexican capital spewed more gas and ash into the sky on Tuesday as authorities maintained their warning level at one step below red alert. Dozens of shelters have been opened near Popocatepetl — located around 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) from Mexico City — which has seen various periods of increased activity since awakening from decades-long slumber in 1994. The government is […]

Indonesia’s Merapi volcano erupts, spewing ‘avalanche’ of lava

JAKARTA, May 23, 2023 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted on Tuesday, spewing lava more than two kilometres from the crater. Dramatic images of lava pouring from the volcano’s smoking crater were published by the government-run Merapi Volcano Observatory. Dozens of small tremors related to Merapi’s eruption were recorded on Tuesday, according to the Centre for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG), a government agency that […]

Indonesia’s Merapi volcano erupts, covers villages in ash

Yogyakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Saturday 3/11/2023 Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted on Saturday, spewing out smoke and ash that blanketed villages near the crater. There were no immediate reports of casualties, the country’s disaster mitigation agency said. Images broadcast on local outlet Kompas TV showed ash-covered houses and roads at a village near the volcano, located on Java Island, near Indonesia’s cultural capital Yogyakarta. The Merapi Volcano Observatory […]