Mount Semeru, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupted on Wednesday, spewing fast-moving hot clouds of volcanic ash and debris that blanketed nearby villages.
The latest eruption of Mount Semeru, the tallest mountain on Java, Indonesia’s main island, began around 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the national geological agency said in a statement. The column of ash rose more than 6,500 feet above the peak, according to the Indonesian authorities.
Videos posted on social media and aired by local media showed huge clouds of ash rapidly approaching villages, bridges and farms. In the towns near the mountain, dark gray ash covered homes and streets after the eruption. The volcano also belched large boulders that landed miles away.
Indonesia’s government has issued a Level 4 alert, its highest volcanic warning, for the latest eruption. It has warned people that lava and ash could spread as far as 12 miles from Mount Semeru, and that in a five-mile radius around the peak, there was a risk of being struck by hot rocks thrown out by the volcano.
The national disaster management agency said 300 people were evacuated from villages near the mountain.
The authorities said they had stopped traffic on the Gladak Perak Bridge, around 8 miles southeast of Mount Semeru’s peak, because the eruption had sent volcanic cloud across the bridge, leaving it under a layer of hot ash. Two people who were on the bridge suffered burns and were taken to a hospital on Wednesday night, local media reported, citing a regional official.
Mount Semeru is one of the most active among Indonesia’s 120 live volcanoes. It has erupted 2,802 times so far this year.
Nur Hudha, a sand miner who lives in a village 12 miles from the mountain, said that while his home had been spared, his family was prepared to flee if needed.
“We are staying home today,” he said on Thursday, “but we are all worried.”
Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea, the Asia Pacific region and global breaking news from Seoul.
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