Pope Francis: Prayers after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano kills nine and thousands leave permanently
Pope Francis has used his most recent address to offer prayers and sympathy after a massive volcano explosion in Indonesia killed nine people.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki has been erupting for over two weeks and has left a path of destruction as government officials rush to evacuate a reported 10-15,000 residents.
“I am close to the population of the Island of Flores in Indonesia, struck by a volcanic eruption,” Francis said on the weekend.
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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-metre twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, has erupted more than a dozen times since the start of November and continues to be active.
AFP is reporting that Sister Nikolin Padjo, a member of the Servants of the Holy Spirit congregation, was among the victims of one of the explosions, and is said to have died when her convent in Boru collapsed during an eruption on Nov. 3.
On Nov. 7, the volcano spewed an ash tower an estimated eight kilometres high, with another eruption forcing officials at a nearby monitoring post to evacuate.
More than 10,000 people have been affected by the eruptions, and officials have advised locals to relocate outside an eight-kilometre exclusion zone permanently.
Pope Francis also spared a thought for the inhabitants of Valencia and other parts of Spain, “who are facing the consequences of the flood.”
