Mount Semeru eruption ejects a 400-metre-high ash plume this morning

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Mount Semeru in Lumajang Regency, East Java, erupted on Friday morning, with the ash plume reaching around 400 metres above the summit. Lana Saria, head of the Geology Agency, said in a briefing in Jakarta on Friday that the eruption which occurred at 04:01 WIB was observed from the summit with an ash plume about 400 metres high, or about 4,076 metres above sea level. Information on the eruption was published to the public at 04:44 WIB through various channels owned by the Geology Agency. The publication reported that instrumentally the eruption was recorded on seismograms with a maximum amplitude of 20 millimetres and a duration of around 1 minute and 7 seconds. According to observations by staff at the Semeru Monitoring Post of PVMBG Geology Agency, the volcanic ash was white to grey in colour with moderate intensity and directed to the east, towards Besuk Kobokan or the route connecting Lumajang and Malang regencies. ‘The eruption was ongoing at the time the report was prepared,’ said Lana. Beyond that distance, the public were asked not to engage in activities within 500 metres of the river bank along Besuk Kobokan due to potential exposure to a spreading pyroclastic cloud and lava flows up to 17 kilometres from the summit. In addition, people were prohibited from activities within a 5-kilometre radius of the crater or summit due to hazards from ejected incandescent rocks. The Geology Agency also reminded residents to watch for the potential of a pyroclastic flow, lava falls and lahars along the river systems that originate at the summit, especially in the Besuk Kobokan area, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, Besuk Sat, and tributaries connected to Besuk Kobokan.