Mount Semeru Outburst in Indonesia Triggers Evacuations
The nation's Semeru volcano, the highest peak on Java island, has erupted, blanketing several villages with falling ash, leading to evacuations and leading authorities to raise the alert to the highest level.
The mountain in the province of East Java unleashed searing clouds of hot ash and a combination of stone, molten rock, and gases that moved up to 7km down its sides several times from noon to evening, while a dense plume of fiery clouds rose 1.2 miles into the air, according to Indonesia’s Geology Agency.
The eruptions that unfolded throughout the day forced authorities to increase the volcano’s alert level twice, from the level three to the highest, the authority reported. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
More than 300 inhabitants in the three communities most at risk in the area of Lumajang region were evacuated to government shelters, according to a representative for the national disaster mitigation agency.
He said that increased activity of the mountain on the afternoon of Wednesday led authorities to widen the hazard area to 5 miles from the crater. Residents were advised to stay clear from an area along the Kobokan River, which is the path of the lava flow, as searing gas flowed down Semeru’s slopes.
Footage on online platforms showed a dense cloud of volcanic dust moving through a wooded ravine to a waterway beneath a bridge. Residents, some with faces covered with ash and water, fled to makeshift refuges or left for other safe areas.
Regional news outlets reported that emergency teams were facing challenges to rescue about 178 individuals stranded on the 12,060-foot mountain at the Ranu Kumbolo observation station. The party included 137 hikers, 15 carriers, seven escorts and six tourism officials, according to an official with the national park.
“They are currently safe at Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post,” an official stated in a video statement. He noted the station was located 2.8 miles from the crater on the northern slope of the volcano, which is not in the path of the hot cloud flow that was seen traveling to the south-southeast. Inclement conditions and rain required the group to remain overnight there, he added.
Semeru, also known as Mahameru, has burst many occasions in the last two centuries. However, as is the case with many of the 129 live volcanoes in the archipelago, thousands of people continue to reside on its fertile slopes.
The mountain's last major eruption was in December 2021, when 51 people were lost their lives and hundreds others were burned and villages were submerged in thick mud. The eruption forced the evacuation of over ten thousand residents from their homes.
The country, an island chain of more than 280 million inhabitants, sits along the Pacific “ring of fire”, a curved series of fault lines, and is susceptible to seismic events and volcanism.
