Exactly one year to the day after a deadly disaster, the Semeru volcano on the island of Java in Indonesia erupted again on Sunday, forcing authorities to raise the highest alert. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Prevention (PVMBG) has raised the alert level around Mount Semeru from level three to the highest level four, its spokesman Hendra Gunawan told Kompas TV.
“This means that populated areas are at risk and the activity of the volcano has increased,” he explained. Located in the east of the island of Java, of which it is the highest point at 3,676 m, Mount Semeru spewed out an ash cloud about 1.5 km high on Sunday. No casualties were reported immediately after the eruption, but the Volcanology Center advised nearby residents to stay at least five miles from the crater.
Local residents are fleeing the area
Authorities also urged people to avoid a 13km-long area along a river southeast of Mount Semeru where the volcanic ash cloud was moving. Videos shared on the networks showed a gigantic cloud rising from the crater, completely obscuring the sun and surrounding villages, which were covered in ash and bathed in a dark mist.
Gunungapi Semeru Kembali Muntahkan Awan Panas Guguran (APG) Pada Hari Minggu (4/12) Sejak Pukul 02.46 WIB, dengan kolom abu teramati berwarna kelabu dengan intensitas sedang hingga tebal ke arah tenggara dan selatan setinggi kurang lebih 1,500 meters di atas puncak. #Semeru #APG pic.twitter.com/v3mtSR4ILW
— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) December 4, 2022
According to TV stations, the area was hit by the monsoon on Sunday afternoon, with rainwater mixing with ash. “Many people have started to descend from the flanks of the volcano,” Thoriqul Haq, the head of the Lumajang district government, where the volcano is located, told Kompas TV.
Villagers living in the shadow of Mount Semeru fled by the dozens as the 1.5km high ash plume approached, taking what they could. According to the emergency services, almost 2,000 of them were evacuated. Three of them set off on motorbikes as local authorities sounded the alarm with bamboo drums and the sky darkened like the middle of the night, monsoon rain mingling with ash.
A total of 1,979 people from six villages were relocated to 11 shelters opened for the occasion. Authorities also distributed masks to residents to protect them from air pollution from the ash.
Tsunami danger in Japan
After the outbreak, the internet was disrupted and the cellular network was down. For its part, Japan’s meteorological agency warned of a possible tsunami caused by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano around 2:30 p.m. (05:30 GMT) on the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama in the extreme south of the Japanese archipelago, according to the Kyodo agency. An hour later, however, no damage had been reported.
Exactly one year ago, on December 4, 2021, Mount Semeru had already erupted and killed at least 51 people. Mudslides and ash engulfed villages and nearly 10,000 people had to flee their homes.