Jakarta: At least nine people lost their lives after Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Sunday, sending massive plumes of lava into the sky and prompting evacuations from nearby villages, officials reported on Monday.

The volcano, situated on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted at 11:57 p.m. local time (15:57 GMT), releasing a fiery column of lava, ash, and incandescent rocks, according to Hadi Wijaya, a spokesperson for Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG). "The eruption led to a power outage, followed by heavy rain and lightning, causing panic among residents," Hadi told Reuters, adding that authorities have now raised the volcano’s alert level to the highest, Level IV.

Authorities have advised evacuations within a seven-kilometer (4.35 miles) radius of the crater. Fiery rocks and lava hit settlements as close as four kilometers (two miles) from the crater, burning and damaging homes, Hadi said.

As of Monday morning, at least nine fatalities were reported, according to Heronimus Lamawuran, an official from the East Flores area. The eruption has impacted seven villages, he noted. "Evacuations began this morning to relocate residents to safer areas around 20 kilometers (13 miles) from the crater," he added, with thick volcanic ash blanketing the nearest villages.

Officials are continuing to collect data on the number of evacuees and damaged properties.

Indonesia, located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," frequently experiences volcanic and seismic activity. This recent eruption follows several others this year: in May, Mount Ibu on Halmahera Island erupted, forcing evacuations from seven villages. North Sulawesi’s Ruang volcano also erupted in May, leading to the evacuation of over 12,000 people. Additionally, flash floods and cold lava flows from Mount Marapi in West Sumatra, triggered by heavy rainfall on May 11, killed more than 60 people across nearby districts.