Mount Semeru erupts, spewing hot clouds

Lumajang, East Java (ANTARA) - Mount Semeru, located on the border of Lumajang and Malang regencies in East Java, erupted again on Friday afternoon, accompanied by pyroclastic flows.

“An eruption of Mount Semeru occurred at 11:57 AM, but the height of the volcanic ash plume could not be observed due to fog,” said the officer in charge of the Mount Semeru Observation Post, Mukdas Sofian, in a written report received in Lumajang.

According to him, the eruption was recorded on the seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of approximately 4 minutes and 10 seconds.

“The eruption of Mount Semeru was accompanied by pyroclastic flows, but the distance of the flow could not be determined due to the foggy conditions,” he said.

Based on the officer’s records, the highest mountain on the island of Java has erupted six times since 12:53 AM until 11:57 AM, but the visual eruptions could not all be observed due to the fog.

He explained that Mount Semeru is at Level III (Alert) status, with the recommendation that the public should not carry out any activities in the southeastern sector along Besuk Kobokan, within a radius of 13 kilometers from the summit (eruption center).

“Outside this distance, the public is advised not to carry out activities within a distance of 500 meters from the banks of the Besuk Kobokan river because they are at risk of being affected by the expansion of hot clouds and lava flows up to a distance of 17 kilometers from the summit,” he said.

The public is also prohibited from carrying out activities within a radius of five kilometers from the crater or summit of Mount Semeru because they are at risk of being hit by rock fragments (pijar).

He also urged residents to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava flows, and lahars along the rivers/valleys that originate at the summit of Mount Semeru.

“Especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, as well as the potential for lahars in the small rivers that are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan,” he said.