Mount Semeru, the highest volcano in Indonesia, has expelled great clouds of gas and strong flows of lava. Mirror notes that as many villages got covered with descending ashes, fiery hot lava flowed down the volcano's slopes and moved to the proximate river within East Java.
PBS notes that immensely thick layers of ash were blasted out into the sky, nearly 5,000 feet from the surface.
According to CNN, this has led almost two thousand residents to evacuate the area and transfer to temporary centers and shelters to stay safe. They reside in public facilities such as schools and village halls.
Over twenty thousand face masks have also been distributed among the evacuees to deal with respiratory health risks that come from the ash.
CNN reports that the National Disaster Management Agency has no documented casualties or injuries to date.
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Efforts to Handle the Effects of the Eruption
Because of increased volcanic activities, authorities extended the high-alert zone to 8km from the crater center. This was mentioned by Hendra Gunawan, the head of the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center.
Gunawan shared how scientists increased the volcano's alert level to the highest degree. Individuals were also advised to avoid the southeastern area where the Besuk Kobokan River is situated. This area is part of where the lava flows down.
What Caused Mount Semeru to Erupt?
As the rain of the monsoon eroded and fell on the large hole of lava of the 12060-foot volcano, the eruption was prompted. This was noted by Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of the National Disaster Management Agency, as noted by Mirror.
Mount Semeru Volcanic Eruption 2021
Mount Semeru previously erupted in December 2021. Because of this catastrophe, fifty-one individuals died in areas covered by thick mud layers.
Apart from those fatalities, there were several hundreds of others who got serious burn injuries. Over 10,000 villagers were also forced to evacuate. Besides that, the government also had to transfer around 2,970 houses away from the dangerous area.
Other Recorded Volcanic Eruptions
While last year's eruption was quite catastrophic, PBS mentions that it was not the first time the volcano erupted in the past 200 years. Nevertheless, despite these occurrences in Mount Semeru and the other 129 volcanoes that are active, thousands of individuals still reside in the slopey areas of volcanoes.
Indonesia is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire. This area is full of fault lines that come in a series that form a horseshoe shape. It is generally prone to volcanic activity and earthquakes.
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