A year to the day after a deadly disaster, the Semeru volcano, on the island of Java in Indonesia, erupted again on Sunday, forcing the authorities to raise the maximum alert.
The Center for Volcanology and Prevention of Geological Disasters (PVMBG) has raised the alert level around Mount Semeru from level three to the highest level four, its spokesperson Hendra Gunawan told Kompas TV.
"This means that danger threatens populated areas and the activity of the volcano has intensified," he explained.
Located in the east of the island of Java, of which it is the highest point with an altitude of 3,676 m, Mount Semeru spat out an ash cloud about 1.5 km high on Sunday.
No casualties were reported immediately after the eruption, but the Volcanology Center advised nearby residents to stay at least five miles away from the crater.
Residents flee the area
Authorities also asked people to avoid a 13 km long area along a river southeast of Mount Semeru, towards which the volcanic ash cloud was moving.
Videos shared on the networks showed a gigantic cloud rising from the crater and completely obscuring the sun and nearby villages covered in ash, bathed in a dark mist.
Gunungapi Semeru kembali muntahkan Awan Panas Guguran (APG) pada hari Minggu (4/12) sejak pukul 02.46 WIB, dengan kolom abu teramati berwarna kelabu dengan intensitas sedang hingga tebal ke arah tenggara dan selatan setinggi kurang lebih 1.500 meter di atas puncak.
#Semeru #APG pic.twitter.com/v3mtSR4ILW
— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) December 4, 2022
The area was battered by the monsoon on Sunday afternoon, with rainwater mixing with ash, according to television stations.
"A lot of people have started to descend" from the flanks of the volcano, Thoriqul Haq, the head of the Lumajang district administration where the volcano is located, told Kompas TV.
The inhabitants of the two most threatened villages fled on their own, added a spokesman for the local emergency services.
Shelters have been set up to house displaced people and authorities have distributed masks to nearby residents to protect them from air pollution from the ash.
A risk of tsunami in Japan
After the eruption, the Internet was cut off and the mobile phone network was down.
For its part, the Japanese Meteorological Agency warned of a possible tsunami, caused by the eruption of the Indonesian volcano, around 2:30 p.m. (0530 GMT) in the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama, in the extreme south of the Japanese archipelago, according to the Kyodo agency.
An hour later, however, no damage had been reported.
Exactly a year ago, on December 4, 2021, Mount Semeru had already erupted, killing at least 51 people.
Mudslides and ash engulfed villages and nearly 10,000 people had to flee their homes.