Jakarta, IO – Mount Semeru in East Java has been activitely spewing a torrent of hot clouds since Sunday (4/12). According to Semeru volcanic monitoring station, column of volcanic ash up to 1,500-meter tall with moderate to high intensity has been observed heading toward the southeast and south, reported Pikiran Rakyat, Monday (5/12).
Meanwhile, East Java governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa said thousands of residents in the vicinity of the volcano have been evacuated to safety. She said she has coordinated with Lumajang regent and East Java disaster mitigation agency to manage the evacuation center and set up field kitchen, especially in Pronojiwo, near the worst-affected village of Supit Urang.
The eruption also cut off road access that connects Lumajang and Malang as the recently opened Kali Kajar bridge is inundated by lahar. “Currently, there are at least 12 locations designated as emergency shelters with a total of 2,219 refugees,” said Khofifah.
Read: Police have quizzed 28 witnesses in the death of a family in W. Jakarta
“We hope the people of Lumajang can be patient and resilient. Please follow the advices from government and stay safe,” she added.
The status of Mount Semeru has been raised to level IV (alert). Residents are advised to:
- Not conduct any activity in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, 13 km from the peak and 500 meters from river bank due to the expansion of volcanic cloud and lahar that can reach 17 km from the peak.
- Not conduct any activity within a 5-km radius from the peak due to ejection of hot rocks.
- Be alert of volcanic cloud, lava and lahar flow along the river/ravine that originates from Mount Semeru, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, dan Besuk Sat and creeks that branch out of Besuk Kobokan (rr)