Indonesia's Semeru Volcano Experiences Several Eruptions

(MENAFN) Indonesia's Mount Semeru unleashed a series of powerful eruptions Monday, blasting thick columns of ash more than 1,100 meters into the sky above East Java — triggering urgent safety warnings for surrounding communities, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation confirmed.

Seven separate eruptions were recorded from midnight through mid-morning, with the first tremor striking at 00:38 a.m. local time. The volcano reached peak intensity at 6:51 a.m., sending its tallest ash plume to the 1,100-meter mark, before the most recent blast was logged at 9:29 a.m.

A monitoring official stationed at the Semeru observation post noted that the ash columns — ranging in color from white to gray — were drifting southward at moderate intensity.

Authorities have issued strict exclusion orders, directing the public to stay beyond a 5-km radius of the crater. The danger zone widens considerably to the southeast, where a 13-km buffer has been enforced along the Besuk Kobokan river corridor. Officials further cautioned that lahars and pyroclastic flows carry the potential to travel as far as 17 km from the summit — placing a broad stretch of the surrounding region at serious risk.

Mount Semeru, the tallest peak on Java island, has a long history of volcanic unrest and remains one of Indonesia's most closely monitored active volcanoes.

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