Indonesia volcano erupts, spews tower of smoke and ash

JAKARTA: Indonesia´s Mount Ili Lewotolok erupted on Friday, belching a tower of smoke and ash almost a kilometre into the sky and prompting authorities to impose a no-go zone in the area.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the eruption, which sent up a tower of volcanic smoke 700 metres high in a remote part of the Southeast Asian archipelago nation.

But authorities imposed an exclusion zone of two kilometres around the crater in East Nusa Tenggara province and advised nearby residents to wear masks to avoid respiratory problems, the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre said. Sugeng Mujiyanto, head of the country´s geological agency, warned residents in a statement to be alert for “potential dangers from lava flows and hot clouds”.