Mount Ile Lewotolok Ablaze, 291 Eruptions Throughout the Day

Mount Ile Lewotolok in Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), erupted 291 times within a 24-hour period on Sunday (6/9/2026), from 00.00 to 24.00 Wita. The volcano’s summit appeared ablaze as a result of the eruptions, with ash columns of 200-600 metres accompanied by white and grey smoke.

Stanislaus Arakian, an officer at the Mount Ile Lewotolok Observation Post, said the volcano, which stands 1,423 metres above sea level, erupted amid clear and cloudy weather with air temperatures of 23-31°C.

“There were 291 eruptions with amplitudes of 22.1-40 millimetres and durations of 20-150 seconds. Rumbling and weak blasting sounds were heard. A new lava flow was observed towards the north-eastern sector, reaching 500 metres from the crater rim,” said Stanislaus in a statement received by detikBali on Monday (7/9/2026).

Stanislaus explained that alongside the eruptions, there were 74 gas emissions, 22 non-harmonic tremors and three distant tectonic earthquakes. In addition, the eruption of Mount Ile Lewotolok also split the lava flow into two parts: one towards the south-south-eastern sector reaching 1,800 metres from the crater rim, and another towards the north-eastern sector extending 1,100 metres from the crater rim.

“Communities are advised to remain vigilant against the potential threat of lava avalanches or landslides and pyroclastic flows in the southern and south-eastern sectors, the western sector, and the north-eastern sector of Mount Ile Lewotolok,” he concluded.