Wed Nov 13 00:46:24 UTC 2024: ## Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Forcing Mass Evacuation and Potential Permanent Relocation

**Flores, Indonesia** – Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located on the tourist island of Flores, erupted violently on Thursday, spewing ash and debris 2,500 meters into the air. This marked the eighth eruption of the volcano since Monday, prompting authorities to raise the alert level to the highest and consider permanent relocation for the remaining residents living in the danger zone.

The eruption caused panic amongst residents who fled their homes, some describing Thursday’s event as the largest since they moved to the area. While no casualties were reported immediately, the volcano had already claimed at least 10 lives in previous eruptions this week. The earlier eruptions forced the evacuation of over 5,800 people from a 7km exclusion zone, and now authorities are planning to relocate the remaining 10,000 residents permanently.

“Permanent relocation is considered as a long-term mitigation measure to anticipate eruption in the future,” said Suharyanto, chief of the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB), who visited the affected area on Thursday.

Laki-Laki, which translates to “man” in Indonesian, is part of a twin-peak volcano, with its counterpart being a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman”. The active volcano is one of 120 located within Indonesia, an archipelago nation that experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

This latest eruption comes just weeks after another active volcano, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra, erupted on October 27. Indonesia’s disaster management agency is closely monitoring both volcanoes and other potential hazards, ensuring the safety of the nation’s 280 million residents.

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