Indonesia’s highly active Mount Semeru released a massive column of scalding ash and gas yesterday, November 19. It forced hundreds of residents to flee to safety, according to AP.
The eruption generated a thick, grey ash plume that reached two kilometers into the atmosphere. The most immediate danger, however, came from the swiftly moving pyroclastic flow (superheated rock, ash, and gas), that avalanched down the volcano’s slopes, traveling as far as seven kilometers from the crater.
Local officials in East Java immediately began moving approximately 300 residents from vulnerable villages near the volcano’s base. The evacuees are currently living in temporary shelters in local schools, government offices, and mosques, according to Al Jazeera. No deaths were reported.
The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) issued a stark warning, establishing an exclusion zone of roughly eight kilometers around the crater. Everyone has been warned to avoid this area due to continued risk of further pyroclastic flows and lava activity, according to Reuters.
Below, a short video of Semeru’s eruption:
Climbers stranded but safe
Amid the chaos, a group of 170 climbers and support staff found themselves temporarily stranded while camping on the mountain. Authorities confirmed today that miraculously, everyone is safe. Rescuers are helping them descend, according to Reuters.
A red alert warned pilots to steer clear of the potential ash cloud, but flight disruptions have been minimal so far.
Meanwhile, volcanic ash has covered the streets and partially buried homes in nearby communities. The monitoring of the volcano remains at Level 4, the highest level. The event is a reminder of Semeru’s destructive potential: In December 2021, a major eruption left widespread devastation, with dozens of fatalities.
A live video cam shows Semeru, belching superheated ash and rocks:
Pyroclastic flows are one of the most dangerous features of a volcanic eruption, much deadlier than lava. A pyroclastic flow from Mount Vesuvius famously obliterated the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. In 1991, a pyroclastic flow in Japan killed volcano photographers Katia and Maurice Krafft. In his film Into the Inferno, Werner Herzog showed the deadly cloud that consumed them, beginning at the 2:17 mark of the trailer below.
