Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki Volcano Erupts, Prompting Alert Level to Be Raised 

A handout photo made available by the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources shows the Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewing volcanic materials during an eruption, in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 21 March 2025. (EPA/PVMBG / Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources shows the Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewing volcanic materials during an eruption, in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 21 March 2025. (EPA/PVMBG / Handout)
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Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki Volcano Erupts, Prompting Alert Level to Be Raised 

A handout photo made available by the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources shows the Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewing volcanic materials during an eruption, in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 21 March 2025. (EPA/PVMBG / Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources shows the Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewing volcanic materials during an eruption, in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 21 March 2025. (EPA/PVMBG / Handout)

The Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano in south-central Indonesia erupted three times into Friday, sending an ash column 8,000 meters (26,200 feet) high and prompting authorities to expand the danger zone around the volcano.

The volcano on the remote island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province has had hundreds of earthquakes and visible volcanic activity has significantly increased in the last seven days.

An eruption followed by an explosion was heard Thursday evening as far away as Larantuka and Maumere, two cities about 50 kilometers (31 miles) to 85 kilometers (53 miles) from the volcano. The eruption was recorded at several monitoring stations on Flores island, Muhammad Wafid, chief of Indonesia’s Geology Agency, said in a statement.

There were two other eruptions, and smaller activity occurred during the day Friday. Smoke blew around the crater with weak to moderate pressure, and firelight was seen at the peak, indicating the glowing volcanic material was at a shallow depth.

Authorities raised the eruption alert to the highest level and expanded the danger zone from 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater. No new evacuations were ordered.

Several airlines canceled flights between Australia and Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali, while other international and domestic flights to the island have been delayed.

Residents were warned to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano, Indonesia's geology agency said in a statement.

An eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in November killed nine people and injured dozens.

The 1,584-meter (5,197 foot) mountain is a twin volcano with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in the Flores Timur district.

Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanos and sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.



Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again
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Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Aloha, Bavaria! Munich Surfers Riding Wild River Wave Again

Surfing enthusiasts have cheered the reopening of a beloved whitewater site in downtown Munich, the German city better known for partying at Oktoberfest than splashing in the waves.

The Eisbach ("ice brook") standing wave in the city's Englischer Garten park was closed after tragedy struck in April when a 33-year-old woman drowned during a nighttime winter surf.

After a safety review and a petition to keep it open, the site -- just a stone's throw from an art museum and shopping streets -- was reopened by authorities in recent weeks.

Putting on a wetsuit and taking a board out of its bag after a day's work, Moritz, 43, said he's a regular at the surf spot on an arm of the Isar river.

"It's amazing. A wave right in the city center is something very special," he said. "I missed it during the closure."

Nearby, surfers performed tricks with virtuosity on the powerful wave, formed by the presence of rocks on the riverbed near a bridge.

"It's completely different from the ocean," said Moritz.

"Even if you know how to surf very well in the sea, you don't necessarily know how to do it here where the water comes from the front and not from behind."

Another surfer, Irina, 34, said she tries to come three times a week, "before work, because it gives you energy".

She finds "the power of the wave is good" and said she feels safe at this unique spot, even if "there are rocks at the bottom and you have to be a little careful when you fall".

A German surfer lost her life during a night session in April after being trapped underwater for nearly 30 minutes, her leash caught on an unidentified object.

Friends and emergency services rushed to help her, but she died a week after her accident.

An investigation found no safety breaches on the part of the city or state, which had always warned surfers to attempt the challenge "at their own risk".

New guidelines have, however, been issued: night surfing is banned between 10:00 pm and 5:30 am, and the minimum age for braving the wave is 14.

Surfers must also use a system that allows their leash to be detached in case of emergency.

These rules are "largely reasonable", said Franz Fasel, head of the local surfers' association IGSM, who said between 3,000 and 5,000 local surfers use the Eisbach site.

"Surfing is simply part of the lifestyle in Munich," he said. "Not just for the surfers themselves, but also for the city's image."

It was not always this way. In the past, the Eisbach wave was entirely natural and surfable only occasionally, for example, when gravel accumulated in the riverbed.

Surfers took matters into their own hands in the 1980s, installing a river crossing and adding objects to improve the wave, not all well received by the authorities.

The site is now promoted by the tourist office as one of Munich's top attractions.

Bavaria's state premier Markus Soeder proudly declared during a recent visit that "Munich is a surfer's paradise" and Bavaria "a bit like the California of Germany".