ISTANBUL

Thousands in southern Indonesia were displaced or evacuated after Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, located in the East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted, prompting authorities to raise its alert level to the highest.

The volcano eruptions occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the ash column reaching up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into the sky on Wednesday.

The first major eruption occurred on Tuesday, according to the Mount Lewotobi Volcano Monitoring Post.

The public and tourists were warned to stay away from the eruption center and listen to the authorities, the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure noted.

At least nine people were killed and dozens injured after an eruption at the same volcano in November.

The 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) peak is part of a twin volcanic system with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in Flores Timur district.

Indonesia has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the Ring of Fire, a seismic belt of fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.