Volcano Semeru Eruption in Indonesia Triggers Evacuations
The nation's Mount Semeru, the tallest summit on the island of Java, has erupted, covering multiple communities with volcanic ash, prompting evacuations and leading authorities to raise the warning to the highest level.
The volcano in the province of East Java released blistering plumes of hot ash and a mixture of stone, molten rock, and gases that moved up to 7km down its sides multiple times from noon to evening, while a thick column of fiery clouds rose 1.2 miles into the sky, according to the nation's geological authority.
The eruptions that unfolded throughout the day forced officials to increase the mountain's warning status on two occasions, from the level three to the highest, the authority said. No casualties have been reported.
Over three hundred residents in the three communities most at risk in the district of Lumajang were evacuated to official safe havens, as mentioned by a representative for the national emergency management body.
He said that heightened volcanic movements of the mountain on Wednesday afternoon led authorities to widen the danger zone to 5 miles from the summit. People were advised to keep away from an area along the Kobokan River, which is the path of the molten rock stream, as scorching gases flowed down Semeru’s slopes.
Videos on social media displayed a dense cloud of ash sweeping through a forested valley to a river beneath a bridge. Residents, some with faces smeared with ash and rain, escaped to makeshift refuges or departed for alternative secure locations.
Local media indicated that authorities were facing challenges to save about 178 people trapped on the 3,676-metre peak at the Ranu Kumbolo observation station. The group included 137 climbers, 15 porters, seven escorts and six tourism officials, according to an official with the protected area.
“They are currently safe at the Ranu Kumbolo station,” a spokesperson said in a recorded message. He said the post was situated 2.8 miles from the summit on the north side of the mountain, which is outside the trajectory of the hot cloud flow that was observed traveling to the south-southeast. Bad weather and rain forced the team to spend the night there, he added.
The volcano, also known as Great Mountain, has burst many occasions in the last two centuries. However, as is the case with numerous of the 129 active volcanoes in the archipelago, thousands of residents still to reside on its fertile slopes.
Semeru’s last major eruption was in late 2021, when 51 people were killed and several hundred others were burned and villages were buried in thick mud. The eruption forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from their houses.
Indonesia, an island chain of over 280 million people, sits along the Pacific seismic belt, a curved series of fault lines, and is prone to seismic events and volcanism.
