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CatastropheIndonesia

More evacuations after eruption of Indonesia's Mount Semeru

December 5, 2022

More people have fled after Sunday's eruption of the Mount Semeru volcano in Indonesia. Rescuers were evacuating homes in the exclusion zone as officials warned of a continued threat from cooling lava.

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A woman salvages belongings following a volcanic eruption by Mount Semeru at Kajar Kuning village in Lumajang.
A woman salvages her belongings following a volcanic eruption by Mount Semeru at Kajar Kuning village in LumajangImage: Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty Images

Rescuers on Monday were evacuating more people from nearby villages after the eruption of Indonesia's Mount Semeru even as activity from the volcano appeared to be in decline.

The evacuations came amid warnings of danger from cooling lava.

Mount Semeru, located on Indonesia's main island of Java, erupted on Sunday, forcing over 2,000 people to flee.

On Monday, improved weather conditions aided rescue workers to resume evacuation operations and a search for possible victims.

There have been no reports of casualties so far.

"The military, police, local disaster and village officials keep evacuating people in Curah Kobokan where the hot ash cloud and cold lava might travel," Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, told local television.

"So far the total number of evacuees is 2,489." 

Hundreds of rescuers have been deployed in the worst-affected villages of Sumberwuluh and Supiturang, where houses were buried to their rooftops by volcanic debris.

The eruption occurred after monsoon rains eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop the volcano — Indonesia's highest at 3,676 meters (12,060 foot).

The volcano spewed a cloud of ash 15 kilometers into the sky as it erupted and unleashed rivers of lava down the side of the mountain.

It also dispersed volcanic ash in a radius of seven kilometers.

A state of emergency is in place for the next two weeks.

People take temporary shelter in a room at a community hall in Candipuro village.
People take temporary shelter in a room at a community hall in Candipuro villageImage: Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty Images

Authorities are also handing out free masks to protect against ash in the air and setting up public kitchens for the evacuees.

Officials also raised Mount Semeru's status to the highest alert level on Sunday.

It had been at its second-highest level since a major eruption in December last year, which killed 51 people and displaced over 10,000.

On Monday, "the volcano was clearly visible," the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said in its early morning report.

Only "thin white smoke could be seen spewing 500 meters from the peak."

dvv/msh (AFP, AP, dpa)