Indonesian volcano Semeru has erupted – government calls for highest alert level Three murder convictions in Vienna trial of dead 13-year-olds

On the day exactly one year after its last eruption, the Semeru volcano on Java, Indonesia’s main island, has erupted again. The Center for Volcanology and Prevention of Geological Hazards continued to register signs increasing activity and issued the highest alert level 4 on Sunday.

From the early hours of the morning, the volcano had repeatedly spewed hot ash up to 5,000 feet into the air. The dense cloud of ash descended on the area within a radius of seven kilometers around the crater. Initially, nothing was known about injuries or damage.

2000 people evacuated

According to the emergency services, almost 2,000 of them have been evacuated. Some were walking in threes on motorcycles as local authorities sounded the alarm with bamboo drums and the sky turned dark as the middle of the night, monsoon rain mixed with ash, AFP noted in the square. “This means that populated areas are under threat and that the activity of the volcano has increased,” spokesperson Hendra Gunawan told Kompas TV.

The potential for further high ash columns and pyroclastic flows from fast lava flows is very high, the volcanology authority said. Indonesian authorities imposed a total exclusion zone of 5 kilometers around the crater and a partial exclusion zone 13 kilometers away on the southeastern slope.

At almost 3700 meters, Semeru is the highest mountain in Java and is located in the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park in the east of the island. He has been more active again since December 2020. The latest eruption in early December 2021 killed at least 50 people and forced thousands to flee the area.

The island nation of Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone on Earth. Just two weeks ago, an earthquake in Java killed more than 300 people.

(cst/sda/dpa)