Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupted on December 4 spewing clouds of ash into the sky and sending rivers of lava. Authorities have initiated evacuation of nearly 2,000 people and raised the alert status to the highest level. The eruption occurred in the highest mountain on Indonesia's main island of Java, around 800 km southeast of its capital Jakarta.
As per an Al Jazeera report, nearly 2,000 people living in the densely populated island of Java have been evacuated from villages close to the peak. The volcanic eruption blanketed several villages with falling ash and debris, but no casualties have been reported so far.
Gunungapi Semeru kembali muntahkan Awan Panas Guguran (APG) pada hari Minggu (4/12) sejak pukul 02.46 WIB, dengan kolom abu teramati berwarna kelabu dengan intensitas sedang hingga tebal ke arah tenggara dan selatan setinggi kurang lebih 1.500 meter di atas puncak. #Semeru #APG pic.twitter.com/v3mtSR4ILW
— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) December 4, 2022
"Hot avalanches" triggered by piles of lava at the tip of the 3,676-metre volcano slid down after the eruption, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said. Residents have been asked not to travel within 8 km of the crater after the threat level was raised to four.
Mount Semeru erupted precisely one year ago, killing at least 51 people, and damaging over 5,000 homes. While several hundred people suffered serious burns, more than 10,000 people were evacuated.
VIDEO: Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupts and spews hot ash clouds a mile into the sky, prompting authorities to raise the volcano's alert status to the highest level pic.twitter.com/PL5JdYcxpT
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 4, 2022
The Mount Semeru volcano was smouldering for several days and the recent monsoon rains broke Lava Dome due to which hot ash, gas, and lava came flowing down for many kilometres.A bridge that connects two districts near the area of Mount Semeru was damaged in last year’s eruption.
The same bridge that was being rebuilt was heavily damaged again on Sunday.Semeru, also known as Mahameru, is an active that has erupted numerous times in the past 200 years. As of today, there are 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, and tens of thousands of people continue to live on the fertile slopes of the mountain ranges with high volcanic activity.
