Volcanoes, guardians of the climate 0:58
(CNN) -
Indonesia's Mount Semeru volcano erupted, prompting evacuations and power outages on Saturday, authorities said.
The Mount Semeru volcano lookout in Candipuro district reports increased volcanic activity and hot ash clouds falling towards the village of Sapitarang in Pronojiwo district, East Java.
At around 3 p.m. local time, the courier reported that the volcanic ash was observed very clearly and smelled of sulfur, causing fog in nearby areas.
Authorities warned residents to be cautious.
So far, there have been no reports of casualties.
Mount Semeru is currently covered in fog accompanied by moderate intensity rain.
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Indonesian authorities say thousands of villagers have been displaced.
Budi Santosa, head of disaster management for the province of East Java, said this Saturday on live television that emergency teams are still assessing the situation on the ground and need the next five hours to gather information on possible victims and people. displaced.
He said there are two sub-districts that have been "badly affected" by the volcano's eruption.
Budi Santosa said he believes that health facilities in the disaster area, be it primary health centers or hospitals, could house all potential victims.
His team is currently trying to conduct evacuations and set up refugee camps in the area, which would provide food, masks, blankets and shelter for displaced residents.
Videos shared by government emergency response teams showed residents in the area fleeing huge clouds of smoke.
The video shared by locals shows the residents of Besuk Kobokan gathered at a mosque as they wait for emergency crews to evacuate them, as ash and smoke have cleared the surrounding streets.
Indonesia, which is located in the so-called "Ring of Fire" of the Pacific, often experiences high seismic activity and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur regularly.
