JakartaPost/AFP-Dec 5, 2022
East Java’s Mount Semeru erupted on Sunday, spewing hot ash clouds around 1.6 kilometers into the sky, prompting authorities to raise the volcano’s alert status to the highest level. The eruption of the highest mountain on the island of Java, located around 800 km southeast of capital Jakarta, sparked the evacuation of nearby villages. The increased alert level “means the danger has threatened people’s settlements and the volcano’s activity has escalated,” spokesperson Hendra Gunawan from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) told broadcaster Kompas TV. “Japan’s weather agency warned that a tsunami could arrive at the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama in the southern prefecture of Okinawa,” reported Kyodo news agency. It said the tsunami could arrive by 2:30 p.m. local time (0530 GMT), but there were no reports of any damage an hour after that time had passed. “Hot avalanches” were caused by piles of lava sliding down from the top of the volcano after the eruption, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Abdul Muhari. No fatalities or injuries were reported immediately after the eruption, but Gunawan warned nearby residents not to travel within 8 km of the crater after the alert level was raised to four. Shelters were being prepared for evacuating residents, the official added. They had been told to avoid a southeastern area 13 km along a river in the direction where the ash was traveling. e year after last eruption Internet access was down and cellular signals were patchy after the eruption, according to an AFP journalist. The local search and rescue agency distributed free masks to the public because of the threat polluted air posed to vulnerable residents. Mt. Semeru last erupted exactly one year ago, killing at least 51 people. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/12/05/mount-semeru-volcano-alert-status-raised-to-highest-level.html.
