Indonesia's Semeru volcano erupts again, spewing ash 1 km above summit

Jakarta, Nov 11:The Semeru volcano, located in Indonesia's Java, erupted again early on Monday at 03:35 a.m. local time, spewing thick grey ash up to 1 kilometre above its summit.

"This eruption was recorded by a seismograph with a duration of 122 seconds and a significant maximum amplitude," said Ghufron Alwi, an officer at the Semeru Volcano Observation Post.

Earlier, at 01:47 a.m. local time, a similar eruption occurred with a duration of 146 seconds and an ash column height of 1 kilometre, indicating high volcanic activity in the past few hours, Xinhua news agency reported.

From January until November 11, 2024, Mount Semeru has erupted 1,738 times, with volcanic activity dominated by eruption tremors, signaling continuous magma pressure beneath the surface.

The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has prohibited people from conducting any activities within an 8-kilometre radius of the summit, including along the Besuk Kobokan River, which is at risk of hot ash clouds and lava flows.

Authorities also warned of the potential for hot ash and lava flows to extend up to 13 kilometres from the summit, given the increasing eruption intensity.