Mount Semeru Eruption Accompanied by Hot Cloud Drifting as Far as 4.5 Km

JAKARTA - Mount Semeru, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java, erupted accompanied by a hot cloud slide of 4.5 kilometers (km) on Friday night.

"There has been an eruption of Mount Semeru at 19.59 WIB with an observed eruption column height of about 700 meters above the peak or 4,376 meters above sea level (msl)," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer, Yadi Yuliandi, reported by ANTARA, Friday, April 24.

According to him, the observed ash column was gray with a thick intensity leaning to the west. The eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 20 mm and a duration of ± 4 minutes 10 seconds.

"There was an eruption followed by a hot cloud with a glide distance of 4.5 km from the peak," he said.

He explained that currently the volcanic activity of Mount Semeru is at Level III Status (Alert) with the recommendation that the public not carry out any activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan, as far as 13 km from the peak (eruption center).

Outside this distance, the public should not carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the river bank (river border) along Besuk Kobokan because they have the potential to be hit by the expansion of the hot cloud and lava flow up to a distance of 17 km from the peak.

"The public is prohibited from carrying out activities within a radius of 5 km from the crater/peak of Mount Semeru because they are prone to the danger of stone throwing (pijar)," he said.

He also appealed to residents to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava discharge, and lahar along the river/valley flows upstream at the peak of the Semeru Volcano, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, as well as the potential for lahar in small rivers which are tributaries of Besuk Kobokan.