Authorities on Monday raised the volcano’s alert level to the highest of a four-tier system, asking residents and tourists not to carry out activities within a 7 km radius of the crater.
The roofs of houses collapsed after being hit by volcanic rock, and residents were forced to shelter in communal buildings after the eruptions.
Residents described their horror when they realized they were in the shadow of an eruption, which they said was initially masked by unfavorable weather conditions.
“I saw flames coming out and immediately ran away. There were ashes and stones everywhere,” said Hermanus Mite, a 32-year-old hairdresser.
The disaster mitigation agency said more than 10,000 people were affected.
Multiple tremors and eruptions took place last week on the volcano, sending columns of ash between 500 and 2,000 m into the sky for several days in a row.
Laki-Laki, meaning “man” in Indonesian, is paired with a quieter volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman.”
Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent eruptions due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of intense volcanic and seismic activity.
