Jakarta– Indonesian authorities issued the highest alert level on Sunday after a series of volcanic eruptions in Mount Semeru in the eastern part of Java island, the dpa reported.
The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised the status to level four after the volcano showed signs of increased activity, spewing a column of hot ash 1,500 metres into the sky and dispersing volcanic ash in a 7-kilometre radius. The agency said that there have been at least nine eruptions since last night.
Authorities have restricted the area surrounding the crater. A 13-kilometre radius has been restricted on its south-eastern slope. Residents in Lumajang district have been advised to forgo activities within 500 metres of the Besuk Kobokan river, where there is a pyroclastic flow hazard, said local official Joko Sambang.
Mount Semeru stands at 3,676 meters above sea level and is the highest peak in Java, Indonesia’s most densely populated island.
Indonesia has 127 active volcanoes.
Source: Saudi Press Agency