Indonesian volcano erupts as flights cancelled and gas masks sent to local people to help with 'painful' breathing

Thick plumes of smoke and volcanic ash submerged roads and rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as lava and ash clouds were sent up to 4km (2.4 miles) from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki on Flores Island.

It erupted for the second day running, at dawn local time on Tuesday.

Debris was measured as going up to 18km (11 miles) 13km (eight miles) into the air when the eruption started at around noon on Monday.

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Local people were advised to limit the time spent outdoors as roads and green rice fields became covered in grey thick mud and rocks.

Schools in the impacted areas had been closed since Monday, according to public information official Very Awales.

Mr Awales said: "The smell of sulfur and ash hung so thickly in the air that breathing was painful."

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

Images shared on social media show people running for their lives amid the downpour of ash and gravel.

Car and motorbike drivers could be seen struggling in reduced visibility caused by the large mushroom shaped ash cloud caused by Monday's eruption.

Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki has been at the highest alert level since 18 June when a restricted area around it was extended to 7km (4.3 miles) - according to Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson.

The local disaster management agency said more than 10,000 people in 10 villages in East Flores and Sikka districts have been affected.

Mr Muhari said airports in cities including Maumere and Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara province were still closed on Tuesday.

Dozens of flights to and from the Ngurah Rai International Airport on the resort island of Bali were delayed or cancelled.

Indonesia is no stranger to volcanic activity. The country has 120 active volcanos and stretches across the 'Ring of Fire': a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault Iines around the Pacific Basin.