“We Woke Up to Darkness”: Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Spews Ash, Villages Empty
Before sunrise, locals near the site of the Mount Lewotobi eruption were going about their usual routines… The first sign wasn’t the sound.The Mount Lewotobi eruption early Monday morning left locals stunned, as ash began to fall before sunrise. It was the light — or the lack of it. People in the small hillside villages around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki opened their doors at dawn and found the sky had turned gray.
“I thought maybe a storm was coming,” said Yulianus, a farmer from Nobo village. “But then the ground shook. And we saw the smoke.”
Minutes later, ash started to fall — not lightly, like dust, but steadily, like dirty snow.
Mount Lewotobi Eruption Begins Without Warning
As panic spread, people left their homes without hesitation. In the village of Hokeng, the headman rang an old school bell to gather the community. Soon after, villagers began walking or riding motorcycles away from the danger zone.
By 7:00 a.m., roads were covered in soot. Banana trees bent under the weight of fine volcanic powder. Chickens ran in circles. Some children cried. Others just watched.
Local authorities said the ash plume reached nearly 18 kilometers high — visible even from the next island.
People Left Without Thinking
In the village of Hokeng, the headman rang the old school bell to gather people. Some ran. Some packed. Most left quietly, walking or riding motorcycles away from the mountain.
“I didn’t even lock my door,” said Maria Lae, a widowed mother of two. “I just told my boys to run.”
Shelters were set up in churches and schools. By late morning, entire neighborhoods stood empty.
Ash in the Air, Fear on the Ground
By midday, it was hard to breathe without a cloth over the face. The wind shifted the ash toward farming regions, and people began to worry more — not just about the eruption, but about their crops.
“My cassava fields are finished,” said Elias Pati, who owns two hectares of farmland near the volcano. “Even if we plant again, we won’t harvest until next year.”
Not the First Time, but Worse
The people here have lived near Mount Lewotobi for generations. They’ve seen smoke. They’ve seen tremors. But this was different. Villagers said the Mount Lewotobi eruption came without warning — one minute the sky was clear, the next, ash was raining down.
The twin volcano — Laki-Laki and Perempuan — has always been part of local legends. Villagers say they are “husband and wife who fight.” When one erupts, the other sometimes follows.
Right now, Perempuan is still quiet. But people are nervous.
After the Mount Lewotobi Eruption: A Tense Night Ahead
As evening fell, the ash stopped falling — briefly. The sky turned orange, then black. Smoke still curled out of the crater. Children in shelters huddled under thin blankets, coughing.
“We don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” said Andreas Moa, a teacher who helped evacuate 80 people from his village. “The mountain is still angry. We are just hoping it calms down.”
While the Mount Lewotobi eruption has paused for now, experts warn that further activity could still occur in the coming days.
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