JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on Indonesia’s most densely populated island in Java, threw hot clouds up to 4.5 kilometers (almost 3 miles) on Saturday.
There were no immediate evacuations, but the National Disaster Mitigation Agency warned people living in villages on the slopes of the 3,676-meter-high mountain to be vigilant for signs of danger.
The agency’s spokeswoman, Raditya Jati, said that people around the river basin on the mountain slopes should beware of the high intensity of rainfall that can trigger lava floods.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has not lifted Semeru’s alert, which had already been at the third highest level since it began erupting in May. The volcano threw hot ash for 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) in early December, causing panic among the villagers.
Indonesia, an archipelago of over 250 million people, is located on the “Ring of Fire” of the Pacific and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.
A strong earthquake shook the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia early Friday, killing at least 46 people.