Indonesia's volcano alert status raised to highest level
Mt Semeru in Indonesia erupted on Sunday, spewing hot ash clouds a kilometer into the sky, prompting authorities to raise the volcano's alert status to the highest level.
The eruption of the highest mountain on the main island of Java, Indonesia, about 800 kilometers southeast of the capital Jakarta, prompted the evacuation of nearby villages.
The increase in the threat level "means that the danger has threatened the colony of the population and the activity of the volcano has intensified", said Hendra Gunawan, spokesperson for the Disaster Mitigation Center volcanic and geological, at the television channel Kompas.
"The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that a tsunami may arrive on the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama in the southern prefecture of Okinawa," Kyodo News Agency reported.
No casualties or injuries were reported immediately after the eruption, but Gunawan warned nearby residents not to travel within eight kilometers (five miles) of the crater after the threat level was reduced. increased to four.
"A lot of people started to sink," Thoriqul Haq, the head of the local administration of Lumajang, where the volcano is located, told Kompas TV.
Mount Semeru last erupted exactly one year ago, killing at least 51 people.
The disaster left entire streets filled with mud and ash, engulfing homes and vehicles, with nearly 10,000 people seeking refuge.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes strong volcanic and seismic activity.
The Southeast Asian archipelago nation has nearly 130 active volcanoes.
AFP
Please share this story:
Mt Semeru in Indonesia erupted on Sunday, spewing hot ash clouds a kilometer into the sky, prompting authorities to raise the volcano's alert status to the highest level.
The eruption of the highest mountain on the main island of Java, Indonesia, about 800 kilometers southeast of the capital Jakarta, prompted the evacuation of nearby villages.
The increase in the threat level "means that the danger has threatened the colony of the population and the activity of the volcano has intensified", said Hendra Gunawan, spokesperson for the Disaster Mitigation Center volcanic and geological, at the television channel Kompas.
"The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that a tsunami may arrive on the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama in the southern prefecture of Okinawa," Kyodo News Agency reported.
No casualties or injuries were reported immediately after the eruption, but Gunawan warned nearby residents not to travel within eight kilometers (five miles) of the crater after the threat level was reduced. increased to four.
"A lot of people started to sink," Thoriqul Haq, the head of the local administration of Lumajang, where the volcano is located, told Kompas TV.
Mount Semeru last erupted exactly one year ago, killing at least 51 people.
The disaster left entire streets filled with mud and ash, engulfing homes and vehicles, with nearly 10,000 people seeking refuge.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes strong volcanic and seismic activity.
The Southeast Asian archipelago nation has nearly 130 active volcanoes.
AFP
Please share this story:
What's Your Reaction?
