Volcano Semeru Eruption in the Southeast Asian nation Triggers Evacuations
The nation's Semeru volcano, the tallest summit on Java island, has erupted, covering several villages with volcanic ash, leading to evacuations and leading authorities to raise the alert to the maximum level.
The volcano in East Java province unleashed searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that moved up to 4 miles down its slopes multiple times from noon to dusk, while a dense plume of hot clouds rose 1.2 miles into the sky, according to Indonesia’s Geology Agency.
The outbursts that unfolded throughout the day forced authorities to raise the mountain's warning status on two occasions, from the third-highest level to the top level, the authority reported. No casualties have been announced.
Over three hundred inhabitants in the three villages most at risk in the area of Lumajang region were relocated to government shelters, as mentioned by a representative for the national disaster mitigation agency.
He said that increased activity of the volcano on the afternoon of Wednesday prompted authorities to widen the hazard area to 5 miles from the crater. Residents were advised to keep away from an area along the Kobokan River, which is the route of the lava flow, as searing gas moved down Semeru’s slopes.
Videos on online platforms displayed a dense cloud of ash moving through a wooded ravine to a river beneath a bridge. Locals, some with faces smeared with volcanic dust and water, fled to makeshift refuges or left for alternative secure locations.
Regional news outlets reported that emergency teams were facing challenges to save about 178 individuals stranded on the 3,676-metre mountain at the Ranu Kumbolo observation station. The party included 137 hikers, 15 porters, seven guides and six tourism officials, according to an spokesperson with the protected area.
“They remain secure at the Ranu Kumbolo station,” a spokesperson said in a recorded message. He said the post was located 4.5km from the summit on the northern slope of the mountain, which is not in the path of the fiery cloud movement that was seen moving to the south-southeast. Inclement conditions and precipitation required the team to remain overnight there, he explained.
The volcano, also known as Great Mountain, has burst numerous times in the last two centuries. Still, as is the case with many of the 129 live volcanoes in the archipelago, tens of thousands of people continue to live on its productive highlands.
The mountain's last major eruption was in December 2021, when 51 people were lost their lives and several hundred more were injured and settlements were buried in thick mud. The event led to the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents from their homes.
Indonesia, an island chain of more than 280 million people, sits along the Pacific “ring of fire”, a curved series of tectonic boundaries, and is susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
