Indonesia’s Mount Semeru Erupts Sending Citizens Into a Panic
The eruption has created a volcanic ash plume of an estimated 40,000 ft.
Indonesia’s Mount Semeru has erupted, according to a Tweet by BNO News. The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center has issued a warning stating that the eruption has created a volcanic ash plume of an estimated 40,000 feet (12,192 meters). The eruption took place at around 2.50 pm local time (Lumajang City, East Java — GMT +7).
BNO‘s Twitter post shows terrified residents fleeing from the scene. Additional videos shared on social media show the region plunged into complete darkness as ash clouds became so dense that no sunlight can pass through. Other footage appears to show lava eviscerating a bridge that connects Lumajang City with nearby Malang City.
This destruction was further confirmed by Reuters quoting Thoriqul Haq, district head of Lumajang, saying the bridge was indeed ravaged and noting that: “This has been a very pressing, rapid condition since it erupted”. Luckily, no other damage to buildings was reported, the country’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said in a statement.
BNPB also noted that as of yet there were no casualties and that the local disaster agency was setting up evacuation tents.
MAGMA Indonesia, an information service for reports on volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, said that the eruption rated on a seismograph a maximum amplitude of 25 mm and a duration of 5160 seconds. Furthermore, the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation revealed that lava was flowing 1,640- 2,624 feet (500-800 meters) down the volcano.
The volcano, which is one of 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, had already erupted earlier this year in January of 2021, according to ABC. The shocking event came just days after 49 people were killed in a deadly earthquake on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
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