An eruption of the Semeru volcano, in the southeast of the Indonesian island of Java, launched a column of gray ash, of moderate to thick intensity, on Sunday, 1.5 kilometers above the level of the crater, authorities reported.
Surveillance cameras captured Mount Semeru releasing clouds of gases and water vapor with a considerable amount of ash, in a phenomenon “still ongoing,” Indonesia’s disaster management agency said.
The eruption of Semeru, 3,676 meters high and one of the most active volcanoes in the country, struck terror among the inhabitants of the city of Lumajang, causing many to abandon their homes and flee in haste, as seen in videos shared on social networks. networks
Despite the panic, authorities do not know if there were fatalities or material damage, and emergency teams are monitoring the situation to control any potential risk from the explosion.
Authorities issued warnings to the public to stay away from the area around the volcano and river banks in the region, due to the danger of spreading hot clouds and lava avalanches, as well as the possibility of Semeru spewing incandescent rocks.
In a statement, Lumajang emergency chief Joko Sambang said preliminary observations on the ground showed that “volcanic ash is rising and tending south,” while emergency teams began distributing free masks to protect people from the toxic gases expelled by the volcano.
The Indonesian Volcanology Service put the risk in the area in “standby mode or level 3” and issued an orange alert for planes flying in the region, considered moderate and activated when the volcano “presents a higher probability of eruption by below six thousand meters above sea level. ”.
A year ago, an unexpected eruption from Semeru killed more than 40 people and displaced more than 5,000, while dozens suffered burns.
The Indonesian archipelago is located on the so-called “ring of fire” in the Pacific, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity, where thousands of earthquakes are recorded each year, most of low to moderate magnitude, and with some 120 active volcanoes.
Source: Observadora