Jakarta: A volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java erupted on Wednesday, throwing ash and gas kilometres into the sky and forcing officials to raise the alert status to its highest level. Mount Semeru in eastern Java, about 310 kilometres west of the tourist hotspot of Bali, erupted at 2:13 pm local time (0713 GMT), spewing what are known as pyroclastic flows, Indonesian geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the public has been advised not to engage in activities within an 8 kilometre (5 mile) radius of the crater or peak of Mount Semeru due to the risk of being struck by ejected rocks, as stated by Wafid in a statement. The local disaster agency reported that the plume of ash had risen as far as 8.5 kilometres into the air, although Wafid noted that thick fog blanketing the mountain made measurements difficult.
The geological agency also indicated 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 confirmed that flight schedules were operating as usual so far.
An eruption by Semeru in 2021 resulted in more than 50 fatalities and damaged over 5,000 homes, forcing almost 10,000 people to seek refuge. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where the meeting of continental plates causes substantial volcanic and seismic activity.