SURABAYA, Indonesia: A volcano on Indonesia’s main island of Java erupted on Wednesday, throwing ash and gas kilometers into the sky and forcing officials to raise the alert status to its highest level.
Mount Semeru in eastern Java, about 310 kilometers west of the tourist hotspot of Bali, erupted at 2:13 p.m. local time (0713 GMT), spewing what are known as pyroclastic flows, Indonesian geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said.
“The public is advised not to engage in activities within an 8 kilometer (5 mile) radius of the crater or peak of Mount Semeru due to the risk of being struck by ejected rocks,” he said in a statement.
The national disaster agency said the plume of ash had risen as far as 13 kilometers (eight miles) into the air.
Its spokesman Abdul Muhari said at least 300 villagers living near the volcano have been evacuated to two temporary shelters. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
