A giant volcanic eruption in Indonesia has triggered emergency evacuations and grounded dozens of international flights. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, a twin volcano located in the southeastern part of the island of Flores, blasted an ash cloud about 33,000 feet into the sky early on Tuesday evening, the country’s volcanology agency said, and continued spewing smoke plumes on Wednesday. The column of ash was visible almost 93 miles away, according to the Associated Press. No casualties have been reported, but locals from villages within five miles of the double-holed crater have evacuated the area. The rising ash can cause problems for commercial airliners, which generally cruise at around 35,000 feet, so dozens of flights were canceled on Wednesday as a precaution. This includes flights from Australia, Malaysia, India, and China, destined for the paradise island of Bali. An eruption at the same volcano in November resulted in nine people losing their lives. Thousands of people were also forced to evacuate the area around the nearly 6,000-foot peak.
Read it at Associated Press
