Mount Semeru: Indonesia raises alert to top status after volcano erupts as evacuations begin
Indonesia's highest volcano Mount Semeru has erupted and the evacuations has begun immediately after government raised alert to highest level.
JAKARTA, Indonesia - (TechtUSA) The Mountain Semeru volcano in Indonesia's Java Island has erupted again. Hundreds of people were evacuated to shelters when the volcano started to erupt.
The Indonesia Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation's Volcano Disaster Prevention System raised the volcanic alert level for Semeru Volcano to level 4, the highest of the four-stage volcanic alert system, as of Sunday afternoon.
Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency, said that the erosion of the lava dome caused by the monsoon rains caused the eruption. It was stated that the dense ash and smoke erupted from the volcano's crater to a height of 4920 feet, and that the lava mass reached the river from the slope of the volcano.
It was stated that some towns near the volcano region were covered with a cloud of ash, but no casualties were reported. Authorities reported that hundreds of people were evacuated to safe areas immediately.
The volcano alarm system in Indonesia consists of 4 levels: "green", "yellow", "orange" and "red" that is at the highest level. In the volcanic eruption of Semeru Volcano on December 4, 2021, 51 people died. In the "Pacific Ring of Fire" earthquake and volcanic belt, Indonesia has about 130 active volcanoes.
