By james art 
The eruption at Mount Levotobi Laki Laki shortly after midnight on Monday spewed thick brownish ash up to 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) into the air and hot ash hit a nearby village, burning several houses, including a convent of Catholic nuns, said Firman Yosef, an official at the monitoring post on Mount Levotobi Laki Laki.
The disaster management agency lowered the known death toll from an earlier report of nine, saying it had received updated information from local authorities.
It said information was still being gathered on the extent of casualties and damage, as local media reported more people were trapped in collapsed houses.
Authorities also raised the danger level and expanded the danger zone for Mount Levotobi Laki Laki on Monday, following a series of eruptions that began last week.
The country’s volcano monitoring agency raised the volcano’s alert status to its highest level and more than doubled the exclusion zone to a seven-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius after midnight Monday as eruptions intensified.
The agency said at least 10,000 people were affected by the eruption in Ulanggitang District, in the six nearby villages of Pululera, Nauokote, Hokeng Jaya, Klatanlo, Boru and Boru Kedang.
In Ile Bura District, four villages were affected, namely Dulipali Village, Nobo, Nurabelen and Riang Rita, while in Titehena District, four villages were affected, namely Konga Village, Kobasoma, Bokang Wolomatang and Watowara.
He said volcanic material was thrown up to six kilometers (3.7 miles) from its crater, covering nearby villages and towns with tons of volcanic debris and forcing residents to flee.
One nun in the village of Hokeng died and another is missing, said Agusta Palma, head of the St. Gabriel Foundation, which runs the monasteries on the Catholic-majority island.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed tons of volcanic debris covering houses up to their roofs in villages like Hokeng, where hot volcanic material set houses on fire.
This is the second volcanic eruption in Indonesia in as many weeks. Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province, one of the country’s most active volcanoes, erupted on October 27, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and covering nearby villages with debris, but no casualties were reported.