Mount Semeru erupts again, sending ash plume over 1.3 km high

Mount Semeru, straddling Lumajang and Malang Regencies in East Java, erupted again on Sunday morning, launching an ash column that rose approximately 1,300 meters above the Mahameru peak. The event was first noted at 05:55 WIB, with a seismograph reading of 22 mm amplitude and lasting just over two minutes. The ash, described as white to gray, moved toward the northeast, and the volcano has produced four eruptions between 00:21 and 06:22 WIB, with plume heights ranging from 500 meters to 1.3 km.

Authorities have kept the volcano at Alert Level III and warned residents to avoid the southeastern sector along the Besuk Kobokan river within a 13-kilometer radius, as well as staying at least 500 meters from riverbanks and five kilometers from the crater due to risks of hot cloud surges, lava avalanches, and lahars that could travel up to 17 kilometers. Specific river valleys such as Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat are also highlighted as vulnerable.