Indonesia: volcanic eruption on the island of Java 04/12/2022 World

Indonesian authorities issued the highest alert level following the eruption of Semeru volcano on the island of Java on Sunday (4). About 2,000 people were evacuated from the region.

The volcano on Java’s highest mountain at over 3,000 meters spewed ash up to 15 kilometers high. A year ago, an eruption at the same site left more than 50 dead and dozens injured and homeless.

There are no reports of casualties or damage from Sunday’s eruption. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Transport, air travel was also unaffected, at least for the time being, but warnings were sent to two regional airports.

“Most of the roads have been closed and now it’s raining volcanic ash that has covered the mountain,” Bayu Deny Alfianto, a Java community volunteer, told Portal.

Indonesia’s Civil Protection Agency said local residents were given masks to protect themselves from ash and taken to emergency shelters.

The outbreak began overnight local time and efforts to rescue, search and evacuate residents continue. The height of the ash plume was verified by the Japan Meteorological Agency, which even monitored later ruled out the possibility of a tsunami.

The eruption, about 400 miles (640 km) east of the state capital Jakarta, follows a series of earthquakes in West Java including last month that killed about 300 people.

The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) advised residents to keep a distance of at least eight kilometers from Semeru Volcano.

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PVMBG chief Hendra Gunawan said a larger volume of magma may have accumulated compared to the 2021 and 2020 eruptions, which would present a more dangerous situation. “The warm clouds of [vulcão] Semeru can reach farther and at a distance where there are many houses.”

In a video sent to Portal by local police, residents were seen moving away from the slopes of the volcano. A damaged bridge was covered with volcanic ash.

With 142 volcanoes, Indonesia has the world’s largest population living near a volcano, with 8.6 million people living within a 10 km radius of one. Last week, the world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, ejected jets of lava up to 60 meters high. It was the first time the volcano had erupted in almost 40 years.