May 29, 2026 | 11:41 am
Mount Semeru erupted, sending a pyroclastic flow as far as 4 kilometers, as seen from Supiturang Village, Lumajang, East Java, on April 19, 2026. Antara/HO-PVMBG
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three volcanoes erupted overnight into Friday, May 29, 2026, in various regions across Indonesia, according to the records of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).Approaching midnight on Thursday, Mount Ile Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara erupted at 11:17 p.m. local time. The observed ash column reached approximately 100 meters above the peak, which stands at an altitude of 1,523 meters above sea level. The ash column, observed by volcano-monitoring officers, was greyish white in color, with thick intensity and leaned southeastward.This eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 19 millimeters for 36 seconds. "Spewing jets of incandescent material within the peak radius," said an officer in the statement on Friday, 29 May 2026.Mount Ile Lewotolok's volcanic activity is currently at alert level II, with entry barred from within a two-kilometer radius from the eruption center. Potential hazards include rock or lava avalanches and pyroclastic flows towards the southern and southeastern sectors, the western sector, and the northeastern sector.PVMBG advises people around Mount Ile Lewotolok to use protective masks as well as other equipment to protect their eyes and skin and to avoid acute respiratory infection or other health problems and to cover clean water storage areas to avoid exposure to volcanic ash.Later, just after midnight, Mount Ibu in North Maluku erupted on early Friday, 29 May 2026 at 12:10 a.m. local time. According to reports from the observation post officers, the observed ash column reached around 600 meters above the mountain peak, which is 1,925 meters above sea level. The observed ash column was greyish white in color, with thick intensity and leaned northeastward.This eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 20 millimeters for 55 seconds. Activity is prohibited within a 2-kilometer radius with a sectoral extension of 3.5 kilometers towards the north's active crater. Mount Ibu's current status is alert level II.In addition, Mount Semeru in East Java also erupted on Friday at 12:33 a.m. local time. The observed ash column by the observation post officers was around 700 meters above the mountain peak, which stands at 4,376 meters above sea level. The observed ash column was greyish white in color, with thick intensity and leaned northwestward. This eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 22 millimeters for 2 minutes and 39 seconds.Mount Semeru's current volcanic activity stands at alert level III. PVMBG advises no activities in the southeastern sector along Besuk Kobokan up to 13 kilometers from the center of the eruption. People are also asked not to carry out activities within 500 meters from the riverbank along Besuk Kobokan, as they are potential targets for the expansion of pyroclastic flows and lava flows up to 17 kilometers from the peak.Other hazard-prone areas include within a 5-kilometer radius of the crater or peak of the mountain due to the risk of volcanic rock or incandescent material ejections. Other potential hazards include pyroclastic flows, lava avalanches, and lava flows along the river or valley originating from the Semeru summit.Read: Sumatra's Mount Sinabung Sees Increase in Volcanic ActivityClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
