TEMPO.CO, Bandung - A cold lava flood from a river originating from the peak of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki have hit the villages of Hokeng Jaya, Dulipali, and Nurabelen in East Flores Regency, Indonesia, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. The lava flood occurred after heavy rains lashed the currently alert-status volcano in the past few days.
Aside from the lava flood, there were also rolling earthquakes caused by unstable materials on the slopes due to continuous rainfall. Head of the Geological Agency, Muhammad Wafid, said, "There were landslides, but visually, the distance and direction of the slide were unobservable," in his statement on Tuesday evening.
According to Wafid, the volcanic activity of the 1,584-meter-high volcano above sea level emitted red light at the mountain top at night. This indicates the presence of hot materials or embers near the crater. "From visual observations, the thick white smoke emanating from the crater mostly consists of water vapor, indicating increased temperature at the peak area," stated Wafid.
Seismic data for the period of July 28-29, 2025, showed an increase in volcanic earthquake activity. Additionally, there was an increase in non-harmonic tremor earthquakes. This is considered to indicate that magma activity is still strong, "However, the release of gas from the crater is hindered, possibly due to blockage," he said.
Wafid explained that due to the suspected blockage, there was a decrease in the number of effusive earthquakes, indicating that gas from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki's belly is struggling to escape. He added that this condition could escalate the risk of an explosive eruption if the trapped gas accumulates in large quantities. "Furthermore, the observed magma supply continues to move from depth towards the surface, which needs to be anticipated as it could trigger sudden changes in activity," he commented.
Based on visual and instrumental analysis, according to him, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki's activity remains high. Residents and tourists are advised to refrain from activities within a six-kilometer radius and a seven-kilometer southwestern-northeastern sector from the eruption center.
People in disaster-prone areas are also urged to remain vigilant against the potential of lava floods during heavy rains, especially in the areas of rivers originating from the peak of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, such as in Nawakote, Dulipali, Nobo, Hokeng Jaya, and Nurabelen.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) confirmed the lahar flood disaster. According to their statement, thousands of residents of Dulipali Village had been evacuated before the cold lava flood hit the residential area.
"The people in Dulipali Village had evacuated since the last eruption on July 7. So, there were no casualties," said the Head of Data, Information, and Communication Center of BNPB, Abdul Muhari in Jakarta, as quoted from Antara.
According to him, the early evacuation was a key factor in preventing casualties despite the flow of cold lava swiftly reaching the residential areas and still covering a section of the national Trans Flores highway.
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