Volcanic eruption burns down homes in Indonesia, killing at least six people

MAUMERE, Indonesia – Indonesia's national disaster management agency said on Monday that at least six people had died as a series of volcanic eruptions spread across the remote island of Flores.

The eruption at Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki shortly after midnight on Monday spewed thick brownish ash up to 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) into the air and hot ash hit a nearby village, burning several houses, including a convent of Catholic nuns, said Firman Yosef, an officer at the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki monitoring post.

The civil protection agency lowered the known death toll to nine compared to an earlier report, saying it had received updated information from local authorities. It said information was still being collected about the extent of casualties and damage, as local media reports said more people were buried in collapsed houses.

After a series of eruptions that began last week, authorities also raised the danger level on Monday and expanded the danger zone for Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki.

The country's volcano monitoring agency raised the volcano's alert status to the highest level after midnight on Monday and doubled the exclusion zone to a seven-kilometer (4.3 mile) radius as eruptions became more frequent.

The agency said at least 10,000 people were affected by the outbreak in Wulanggitang district in the six nearby villages of Pululera, Nawokote, Hokeng Jaya, Klatanlo, Boru and Boru Kedang.

In Ile Bura District, four villages were affected namely Dulipali Village, Nobo, Nurabelen and Riang Rita while in Titehena District four villages were affected namely Konga Village, Kobasoma, Bokang Wolomatang and Watowara.

He said volcanic material was thrown up to six kilometers (3.7 miles) from its crater, covering surrounding villages and towns with tons of volcanic debris and forcing residents to flee.

A nun in the village of Hokeng has died and another is missing, said Agusta Palma, the head of the Saint Gabriel Foundation, which oversees monasteries on the predominantly Catholic island.

“Our panicked nuns ran out into the darkness under a shower of volcanic ash,” Palma said.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed that in villages like Hokeng, tons of volcanic debris covered houses up to the roofs, where hot volcanic material set houses on fire.

It is the second volcanic eruption in Indonesia in just a few weeks. Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province, one of the country's most active volcanoes, erupted on October 27, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and covering surrounding villages with debris, but no casualties were reported. ___ Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan contributed to this report.