Indonesia's Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupts; some Bali flights affected

An eruption of Indonesia's Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spewed ash clouds more than 8km high, the authorities said, as they raised the alert status to the highest level and two airlines cancelled some flights from Bali on March 21.

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The large eruption of the volcano in East Nusa Tenggara province on the night of March 20 followed dozens of smaller ones since March 13, the national geological agency said in a statement.

Volcanic ash from the eruption blanketed several nearby villages on March 21.

At least two people were injured, including a man whose roof collapsed under volcanic debris, AFP reported a local official as saying.

The local government has declared a 14-day emergency and established a command post to coordinate response efforts, the country's disaster agency spokesman, Mr Abdul Muhari, said on March 21.

Mr Abdul added that more than 4,700 residents have been evacuated as at March 21 and called on those remaining to find a safe location.