Mount Semeru In Indonesia's East Java Erupts

(MENAFN- IANS) Jakarta, Dec 15 (IANS) Mount Semeru, located in Indonesia's East Java province, erupted on Sunday, prompting the country's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation to issue an Aviation warning.

A thick column of white-to-grey ash rose up to 1,000 meters into the sky, drifting northeast from the crater, according to the center's report.

Authorities issued the second-highest aviation warning, designating an orange Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation, restricting flights within 5 kilometres of the volcano, Xinhua news agency reported.

A 3-km danger zone has been declared, while the southeastern area of the volcano has a designated danger radius extending up to 8 km from the crater.

Beyond these areas, authorities have prohibited residents from engaging in any activities within 500 meters of rivers originating from the volcano's slopes due to potential lava flows and hot clouds possibly extending up to 13 km.

Mount Semeru, standing 3,676 meters high, is one of Indonesia's 127 active volcanoes

On November 3, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a volcano in Indonesia erupted killing nine people and forcing thousands of locals to evacuate.

The volcanic eruption resulted in the cancellation of more than 160 flights to and from Bali.

To facilitate emergency relief efforts, the local government declared an emergency status from November 4 until December 31.

In May, the Ibu volcano on Halmahera Island in the eastern Indonesian province of North Maluku erupted.

The Ibu volcano has erupted more than 80 times since the beginning of this year.

In April, Mount Ruang volcano erupted. The 725-metre-high volcano is one of Indonesia's most active.

Mount Ruang last erupted in 2002, spewing out pyroclastic flows that damaged the land and local settlements.

There are roughly 500 mountains that dot the Indonesian archipelago, of which 127 are active volcanoes and dozens of them have been showing signs of increased activity.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' - an area abundant in volcanoes and seismic activity because it is directly above several tectonic plates. There are nearly 130 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian country.

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