On 17 June 2025, there was a loud explosion in the Levotobi Laki-Laki volcano in Indonesia, which flew the cloud of 11 km (6.8 mi) high ash in the sky. This volcano is located on the island of Flores in Eastern Nusa Tengara province.
Indonesia’s volcanic agency declared it a most dangerous level alert. Warned of lava flow in case of heavy rains. This explosion was so big that its ash cloud appeared from 90 to 150 km away.
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Levotobi Laki-Laki: Volcano’s strength
Levotobi Laki-Laki is a 1584 meter high volcano, which is located in the Flores Timur district of Flores Island. Its name is “Laki-Laki” (male) in Indonesian language. It creates a twin pair with its cool but highly fellow volcanic Levotobi Perempuan (female, 1703 m).
This volcanic is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common with a collision of tectonic plates. There are 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Levotobi is one of them.
This volcano rose a cloud of 10,000 meters (about 32,800 ft) high ash. The Geology Agency of Indonesia said that this volcano does small activities 8-10 times in normal days, but this time activities were recorded 50 times in two hours. The cloud of ash was mushroom -shaped. In orange color, the surrounding villages were covered, as in the photographs taken from the village of Kwallolo.
Danger level and warning
After the explosion, Indonesia’s volcano and Geological Disaster Reduction Center (PVMBG) increased the alert level to the most dangerous (level IV). Earlier it was also at the most serious level in May 2025, when there were eight -time explosions in the volcano. The agency released the following warnings …
- Area of danger: The scope of 8 kilometers (5 mi) from the creator of the volcano was declared a danger area. People and tourists were advised not to do any activity in this area.
- Lava flow risk: In the case of heavy rains, the ash and debris emanating from the volcano can begin with Lahar (volcanic soil flow), especially in rivers that begin from the upper parts of the volcano, such as Dulipali, Nobo, Hokeng Jaya and Nurabellen.
- Health Caution: People affected by ash rain were advised to cover masks or nose and mouth so that respiratory problems could be avoided.
Effect on flights
This explosion affected air travel. Franciscus Xavier’s Seda Airport remained closed from Wednesday to Thursday at Mamere. Several international flights to Bali, such as Air India, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Juneo Airlines were canceled. More than 37 flights were canceled at Bali’s I Gushti Nugraha Rai International Airport. Many domestic AirAsia flights were also affected.
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Flights to Bali were canceled in the explosion in March 2025. Darwin, Australia’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Center issued a red alert for flights, as volcanic ash can damage the engine of ash planes and reduce visibility. All aircraft were forbidden to fly below 6000 meters around the volcano.
There have been deadly explosions before
This is not the first explosion of Levotobi Laki-Laki …
- November 2024: 9 people died in many eruptions of this volcano. 16000 people were displaced. Many flights were canceled. Hot rocks and Lava affected seven villages.
- March 2025: A cloud of 8 km high ash came out, which canceled seven international flights of Bali.
- May 2025: The ash went up to 5.5 km with eight blasts. The alert level was made the most serious.
It is clear from these incidents that Levotobi is an active and dangerous volcano, whose activities can suddenly increase.
Pacific Ring of Fire: Why is the danger?
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a horseshoe-shaped area, where a collision of tectonic plates causes 120 active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Volcanoes like Levotobi in this region burst regularly, causing a threat to nearby villages and air travel.
Damage and rescue operations
No loss or casualties have been reported in the June 17 blast. However, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency evacuated at least one village and reported the rain of ash in the surrounding villages.