Mount Semeru Erupts, Ash Clouds Tower Over Java
Indonesia’s highest peak on Java Island, Mount Semeru, has erupted in a dramatic display, sending massive columns of ash soaring about two kilometers above its summit. This eruption, which unfolded yesterday, painted the sky with dense clouds of volcanic ash, smoke, and a dangerous mixture of lava and hot gas. Villages near the volcano were blanketed in ash, prompting authorities to swiftly evacuate more than 300 residents from the most at-risk areas in Lumajang district to government shelters.
CCTV and social media footage captured the sheer power of the eruption. Pyroclastic flows—fast-moving avalanches of searing hot ash and volcanic rock—raced down Semeru’s slopes, reaching distances of up to seven kilometers. One scene showed ash clouds engulfing a bridge, spreading across valleys, and forcing locals to halt in their tracks, many with faces streaked with volcanic dust.
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The volcano’s activity led authorities to raise the alert level to its highest, and the danger zone around the crater was expanded to eight kilometers. Officials issued warnings urging people to avoid areas along the Besuk Kobokan River, a path vulnerable to lava and hot gas flows. Meanwhile, 178 people—including 137 climbers, 15 porters, seven guides, and six tourism officials—were reported stranded at the Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post, about 4.5 kilometers from the crater. Fortunately, officials confirmed that they were safe, although they had to endure the night amid rain and bad weather.
The eruption’s impact was not limited to Indonesia. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology issued a volcanic ash advisory for Darwin, highlighting the regional concern for aviation, though no flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled so far.
Mount Semeru, also called Mahameru, stands over 3,600 meters high and is one of Indonesia’s 129 active volcanoes. Despite its history of deadly eruptions, including a major one in December 2021 that killed 51 people and buried villages in mud and ash, thousands continue to live on its fertile slopes. That eruption forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents, and nearly 3,000 homes were later moved out of high-risk zones.
Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped zone known for seismic activity, where tectonic plates collide to create frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The latest eruption of Semeru serves as a stark reminder of the power of nature in this geologically volatile region, as communities and authorities scramble to keep people safe and minimize damage.
The scenes from Java are dramatic and humbling, showing how quickly life can be disrupted when a volcano awakens, and the ongoing efforts to monitor and protect those in its path are being closely followed.
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