Scorching ash and lava from Mount Semeru trigger evacuations in Indonesia VIDEO

Indonesia’s Mount Semeru, the tallest peak on Java Island, has erupted, covering several villages in ash, triggering evacuations, and prompting authorities to raise the alert to the highest level.

The volcano, located in East Java province, sent scorching clouds of hot ash along with a mix of rock, lava, and gas travelling up to 7 km (4 miles) down its slopes multiple times from midday to dusk. Meanwhile, a dense column of hot clouds soared 2 km into the air, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Geology Agency, cited by British media.

Throughout the day, the eruptions forced authorities to raise the volcano’s alert level twice—from the third-highest level to the highest. No casualties have been reported so far.

More than 300 residents from the three most at-risk villages in Lumajang district were evacuated to government shelters, said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the national disaster mitigation agency.

Social media videos showed thick ash clouds sweeping through a forested valley toward a river beneath a bridge. Residents, some with faces covered in volcanic dust and rain, fled to temporary shelters or moved to other safer areas.

Local media reported that authorities were struggling to rescue about 178 people stranded at the Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post on the 3,676-meter mountain. This group included 137 climbers, 15 porters, seven guides, and six tourism officials, according to an official from the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru national park (TNBTS).

Mount Semeru, also called Mahameru, has erupted numerous times over the past 200 years. Despite the risks, tens of thousands of people continue to live on its fertile slopes, as is the case with many of Indonesia’s 129 active volcanoes.

Semeru’s last major eruption occurred in December 2021, killing 51 people, injuring several hundred others with burns, and burying villages in mud. More than 10,000 residents were evacuated at that time.

Indonesia, an archipelago of over 280 million people, lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped zone of fault lines, making it highly susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

By Tamilla Hasanova