Indonesia’s Semeru volcano erupts, alert level raised to highest
Indonesia’s Semeru volcano has erupted and the country’s volcanology agency has increased the alert level of Java Island’s tallest mountain to the highest.
The volcano spewed ash clouds as high as 2km above the mountain’s peak, the agency said, adding residents should keep to a 2.5 km distance away due to risks.
Semeru, more than 3600 metres high, is one of Indonesia’s 129 active volcanoes.
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The eruption throughout the day blanketed several villages with falling ash and forced authorities to raise the volcano’s alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest, Indonesia’s Geology Agency said.
No casualties have been reported.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre issued a red aviation alert following the series of eruptions as ash was “partially identifiable on satellite imagery”.
So far, no flights have been cancelled between Denpasar airport and Australia, however travellers are being warned to check for updates.
Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
with AP
