JAKARTA, Sept 9 — Volcanic ash from three more Indonesian volcanoes was reported across parts of the archipelago on Wednesday, in addition to Mount Anak Krakatau, with ash from one of them continuing to disrupt air travel in East Nusa Tenggara.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said analysis of Himawari-9 satellite imagery at 7am detected volcanic ash from Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara and Mount Dukono and Mount Ibu in North Maluku, alongside ash from Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait.

Of the four volcanoes, BMKG said ash from Ili Lewotolok, located on Lembata Island in East Nusa Tenggara in eastern Indonesia, was observed at the highest altitude of up to 8,000 feet (about 2,438 metres), moving northwest to north across parts of Lembata Regency and the Flores Strait.

“The public is urged not to panic, but to remain vigilant, continue monitoring information on volcanic ash distribution and refer to verified information from official sources,” the agency said in its latest post on social media.

Volcanic ash from Ili Lewotolok forced Wunopito Airport in Lewoleba to temporarily close on Tuesday, with the closure subsequently extended until an estimated 7am local time on Thursday, according to state-owned air navigation service provider AirNav Indonesia.

Meanwhile, all eight airports that have been temporarily closed since Sunday due to volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau had reopened by Tuesday, including Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia’s main international gateway.

Separately, Lampung’s Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) said a monitoring operation at 10am by the Indonesian Navy vessel KRI Lepu-861 found that eruptive activity at Anak Krakatau remained observable, marked by smoke and volcanic ash.

The agency said the monitoring, which also drew on Himawari-9 satellite imagery, detected ash reaching up to 7,000 feet (about 2,134 metres) and moving northwest, covering part of Lampung Bay. — Bernama