Indonesia raises Semeru volcano alert, fearing new eruption

Indonesia’s geological agency said on December 18 that it picked up increasing activity that could trigger an avalanche of lava and searing gas, similar to the December 4 eruption

Indonesian authorities raised the alert level for the highest volcano on Java island, saying Mount Semeru could blow up again after a left 48 people dead and 36 missing in villages that were buried in layers of mud.

Indonesia’s geological agency said December 18 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 3,676m mountain.

About 8 million cubic meters (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.