Terror in Bali. the eruption of mount lewotobi laki laki shocks the island
On the evening of March 20, 2025, Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, located on the island of Flores in Indonesia, erupted violently, sending a column of ash over eight kilometers into the sky. Indonesian authorities immediately raised the alert level to its highest and expanded the evacuation zone from 7 to 8 kilometers. Some nearby towns were cut off, and hundreds of residents were evacuated to temporary shelters.
The following day, the ash cloud reached Bali and led to the cancellation of at least seven international flights. Major airlines, including Jetstar and Garuda, temporarily suspended connections with Australia and other routes across Southeast Asia. Ngurah Rai International Airport operated at reduced capacity for several hours, causing widespread delays in domestic and international traffic.
Lewotobi Laki Laki, standing at 1,584 meters, forms a twin volcanic system together with Lewotobi Perempuan. Its last significant eruption occurred in November 2024, resulting in nine deaths and the evacuation of over 2,000 people. The current activity has raised fears of potential lahars, volcanic mudflows, especially with the arrival of seasonal rains.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active seismic zone with around 130 active volcanoes. This makes it one of the most exposed countries to seismic and volcanic risks, both in density and frequency. The Lewotobi case brings attention back to the intersection between geology and infrastructure: airports, ports, and major urban centers are often located dangerously close to unstable areas.
This is not just a local issue. Volcanic eruptions directly affect international civil aviation. Volcanic ash clouds are made up of fine particles of glass and rock that can severely damage aircraft engines. British Airways Flight 9 in 1982 remains a textbook example: it flew through an ash cloud in Indonesia, lost all engines temporarily, and managed to land safely thanks to the crew’s quick response.
That incident led the International Civil Aviation Organization to establish the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC), now operating worldwide. These centers use satellite data and meteorological projections to track ash movement and provide real-time forecasts to airlines. However, in many Asian regions, support infrastructure remains fragile, and coordination between civilian and military authorities often suffers from logistical shortcomings.
In Indonesia, local populations are in some ways accustomed to living with volcanoes. But familiarity doesn’t mean safety. Settlements built on the slopes of active volcanoes are highly vulnerable in case of sudden eruptions, while tourism pressure—with millions of annual visitors to Bali, Java, and Sumatra—complicates emergency management. The tourism industry itself is fragile: even a few hours of airport closure can cause significant economic losses, affecting transport, hospitality, and services.
The Lewotobi eruption is not just a geological event but a systemic test. It exposes the tension between development and safety, between globalization and environmental fragility. In an archipelago where natural beauty coexists with tectonic instability, every eruption is also a trial of the country’s institutional, technical, and social resilience.
Terror in Bali. the eruption of mount lewotobi laki laki shocks the island
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