At least six dead as volcanic eruption burns houses in Indonesia

FILE – Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews volcanic materials from its crater during an eruption in East Flores, Indonesia (Andre Kriting, File/AP)

At least six people have died as a series of volcanic eruptions widens on the remote Indonesian island of Flores, the country’s National Disaster Management Agency said.

The eruption at Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki just after midnight on Monday spewed thick brownish ash as high as 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) into the air and hot ashes hit a nearby village, burning down several houses including a convent of Catholic nuns, said Firman Yosef, an official at the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki monitoring post.