Tuesday Morning Stabbing, Mount Semeru Erupts Six Times In Hours

Illustration of the eruption of Mount Semeru (ANTARA)

Mount Semeru, which is on the border of Lumajang and Malang Regencies, East Java, erupted six times with an eruption height of up to 700 meters above the peak on Tuesday, October 21 morning.

"There was an eruption of Mount Semeru at 05.53 WIB with an eruption column height of about 600 meters above the peak or 4,276 meters above sea level (masl)," said Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer, Liswanto, quoted by ANTARA.

According to him, the ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the south and when the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing.

Previously, the eruption occurred at 05.32 WIB with an eruptive column height of about 700 meters above the peak and the ash column was observed to be white to gray with moderate intensity to the south.

"When the report was made, the eruption was still ongoing," he said.

The eruption of the highest mountain on the island of Java was also recorded at 05.21 WIB with a column height of ash observed at around 700 meters above the peak, and at 00.35 WIB, at 00.23 WIB, and at 00.20 WIB.

Liswanto explained that Mount Semeru is still on Alert or Level II status so that the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) provides a number of recommendations, namely that people are prohibited from carrying out any activity in the southeast sector, along Besuk Kobokan as far as eight kilometers from the summit (the center of the eruption).

Outside of that distance, he said, people are not allowed to carry out activities at a distance of 500 meters from the riverbank along Besuk Kobokan, because it has the potential to be affected by the expansion of hot clouds and lava flows up to a distance of 13 kilometers from the summit.

"People are also advised not to move within a three-kilometer radius of the crater or peak of Mount Semeru, because it is prone to the dangers of incandescent stones," he said.

He appealed to the public to be aware of the potential for hot clouds, lava avalanches, and rain lava along rivers/valleys whose water flows originate at the top of Mount Semeru, especially along Besuk Kobokan, Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar, and Besuk Sat, as well as the potential for lava in small rivers which are tributaries from Besuk Kobokan.