Indonesia’s Mount Semeru volcano erupts, spews huge clouds of ash

A volcano on Indonesia’s densely populated island of Java has erupted, spewing a huge column of ash into the air and prompting evacuations of villages in the area, according to Al Jazeera.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) warned residents on December 4 living near Mount Semeru in East Java province, located around 640 km southeast of the capital Jakarta, not to conduct any activities within 8 km of the volcano and to keep away from riversides in the area due to risks of lava flow.

The agency said it has raised the volcano’s alert status to the highest level.

Japan’s Meteorology Agency meanwhile said it was monitoring for the possibility of a tsunami after the eruption. There was no immediate comment from the BNPB on Japan’s warning of a tsunami threat.

A sudden eruption of Mount Semeru last year killed at least 51 people, injured more than 100, and thousands of houses and buildings were damaged.

With 142 volcanoes, Indonesia has the largest population globally living in close proximity to a volcano, including 8.6 million people within 10 km.