Indonesia raises Semeru volcano alert, fearing another deadly eruption
- Warning comes two weeks after a major eruption killed at least 48 people
- Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has 129 active volcanoes
Indonesia’s geological agency said Saturday it picked up increasing activity that could trigger an avalanche of lava and searing gas, similar to the December 4 eruption, which was preceded by heavy monsoon rains that partially collapsed a lava dome on the 3,676-metre (12,060-foot) mountain.
About 8 million cubic metres (282 million cubic feet) of sand from the volcano’s crater clogged the Besuk Kobokan River, which is in the path of the lava flow, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif said.
“As a result, if there is another eruption, it would block the flow path and create new lava flows spreading to the surrounding area,” Tasrif said, adding that the government had set up a new danger map and urged people to obey it. It raised the alert level to the second-highest.
The head of Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre, Andiani, said villagers living on Semeru’s fertile slopes are advised to stay 13km (8 miles) from the crater’s mouth. She also stopped tourism and mining activities along the Besuk Kobokan watershed.