Volcano Mahameru Outburst in Indonesia Triggers Evacuations
Indonesia's Semeru volcano, the tallest summit on Java island, has exploded, covering several villages with falling ash, prompting evacuations and causing officials to elevate the warning to the maximum level.
The mountain in the province of East Java released blistering plumes of fiery ash and a mixture of stone, molten rock, and gases that travelled up to 7km down its sides several times from noon to dusk, while a dense plume of fiery clouds rose 2km into the air, according to the nation's geological authority.
The eruptions that occurred throughout the day compelled authorities to raise the volcano’s alert level on two occasions, from the level three to the highest, the authority reported. No casualties have been reported.
More than 300 residents in the three communities most at risk in the district of Lumajang region were relocated to official safe havens, according to a spokesperson for the national disaster mitigation agency.
He stated that increased activity of the mountain on Wednesday afternoon led officials to expand the danger zone to 8km from the summit. People were urged to stay clear from an zone along the Kobokan River, which is the path of the lava flow, as searing gas moved down the volcano's sides.
Footage on online platforms showed a dense cloud of volcanic dust sweeping through a forested valley to a river beneath a bridge. Locals, some with faces covered with volcanic dust and rain, escaped to temporary shelters or left for other safe areas.
Regional news outlets indicated that emergency teams were struggling to rescue about 178 individuals trapped on the 3,676-metre mountain at the Ranu Kumbolo observation station. The party comprised 137 climbers, 15 porters, seven guides and six tourism officials, according to an official with the national park.
“They remain secure at the Ranu Kumbolo station,” a spokesperson said in a video statement. He noted the post was situated 4.5km from the summit on the north side of the mountain, which is outside the trajectory of the hot cloud flow that was seen moving to the south-southeast. Bad weather and rain forced the group to remain overnight there, he added.
Semeru, also known as Great Mountain, has erupted numerous times in the last two centuries. However, as is the case with many of the 129 live volcanoes in Indonesia, tens of thousands of people continue to live on its fertile slopes.
The mountain's previous significant explosion was in December 2021, when 51 people were killed and several hundred more were burned and villages were buried in layers of mud. The event led to the relocation of over ten thousand residents from their homes.
The country, an island chain of over 280 million inhabitants, is located along the Pacific “ring of fire”, a curved series of fault lines, and is prone to earthquakes and volcanism.