Volcano Mahameru Outburst in Indonesia Prompts Evacuations

Indonesia's Mount Semeru, the tallest summit on the island of Java, has erupted, covering several villages with falling ash, prompting evacuations and leading authorities to raise the alert to the highest level.

The volcano in the province of East Java released blistering plumes of hot ash and a combination of rock, lava and gas that travelled up to 4 miles down its sides multiple times from noon to dusk, while a thick column of hot clouds rose 1.2 miles into the sky, according to the nation's geological authority.

The eruptions that unfolded throughout the day compelled authorities to increase the volcano’s alert level on two occasions, from the third-highest level to the highest, the authority said. No casualties have been announced.

More than 300 residents in the three villages most endangered in the area of Lumajang were evacuated to official safe havens, as mentioned by a representative for the national emergency management body.

He said that heightened volcanic movements of the mountain on Wednesday afternoon led authorities to expand the danger zone to 8km from the summit. Residents were advised to keep away from an zone along the Kobokan River, which is the route of the molten rock stream, as searing gas flowed down the volcano's sides.

Footage on social media showed a dense cloud of volcanic dust moving through a wooded ravine to a river beneath a overpass. Locals, some with faces smeared with volcanic dust and water, escaped to makeshift refuges or departed for alternative secure locations.

Regional news outlets indicated that authorities were struggling to rescue about 178 people trapped on the 3,676-metre peak at the Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post. The group comprised 137 hikers, 15 carriers, seven guides and six travel representatives, according to an official with the protected area.

“They are currently safe at Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post,” a spokesperson said in a video statement. He noted the post was situated 4.5km from the crater on the northern slope of the mountain, which is outside the trajectory of the hot cloud flow that was observed traveling to the southeast direction. Bad weather and rain required the team to remain overnight there, he explained.

The volcano, also known as Mahameru, has burst many occasions in the past 200 years. Still, as is the situation with numerous of the 129 active volcanoes in the archipelago, tens of thousands of people still to live on its productive highlands.

Semeru’s previous significant explosion was in late 2021, when 51 people were killed and hundreds others were burned and settlements were buried in thick mud. The eruption led to the evacuation of over ten thousand residents from their houses.

The country, an island chain of more than 280 million people, sits along the Pacific “ring of fire”, a curved series of fault lines, and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.