SURABAYA: Mount Semeru on Indonesia’s main island of Java erupted on Wednesday, spewing ash and gas kilometres into the sky.
The eruption at 2:13 pm local time prompted officials to raise the volcano’s alert status to its highest level.
Indonesian geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said the volcano produced pyroclastic flows.
“The public is advised not to engage in activities within an 8 kilometre radius of the crater or peak of Mount Semeru due to the risk of being struck by ejected rocks,” he stated.
The local disaster agency reported the ash plume rose as far as 8.5 kilometres into the air.
Wafid noted that thick fog blanketing the mountain had made measurements difficult.
The geological agency also confirmed that seismic activity at Mount Semeru remained high.
There have been no immediate reports of evacuations or casualties caused by the eruption.
Authorities at Ngurah Rai airport in Bali said flight schedules were operating as usual so far.
Semeru’s 2021 eruption killed more than 50 people and damaged more than 5,000 homes.
That disaster forced almost 10,000 people to seek refuge.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where continental plates meet.
The Southeast Asian archipelago has nearly 130 active volcanoes.
