Indonesia's Mount Semeru volcano eruption video goes viral as terrifying ash clouds blanket villages; Red aviation warning for Australian travellers

A terrifying video of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupting has gone viral, showing towering ash clouds racing down the slopes and blanketing nearby villages in darkness. Mount Semeru, the highest peak on Java island, erupted Wednesday, prompting evacuations and leading authorities to raise the alert to the highest level. Authorities raised alert levels and urged locals to stay clear of danger zones as ash continued to drift across East Java.


Mount Semeru in East Java sent scorching clouds of ash, gas, rock, and lava surging up to 7 kilometres down its slopes multiple times from midday until dusk, according to Indonesia’s Geology Agency as quoted by AP. A towering column of hot ash also rose 2 kilometres into the sky. With eruptions intensifying through the day, authorities raised the alert level twice, eventually reaching the highest status. No casualties have been reported so far.



More than 300 residents from three high-risk villages in Lumajang district were evacuated to government shelters, officials said as quoted by AP. Viral videos captured massive ash clouds sweeping through a forested valley and swallowing a bridge, as residents coated in dust raced to shelters.


According to AP, local media reported that around 178 people remain stranded at the 3,676-metre Mount Semeru’s Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post, including climbers, porters, guides and tourism officials. They are safe for now, officials said, noting the post lies 4.5 kilometres from the crater and outside the path of the hot cloud flow. Bad weather forced the group to stay overnight.


Semeru, also known as Mahameru, is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupting frequently over the past two centuries. Its last major eruption in 2021 killed 51 people and displaced thousands. Indonesia, located along the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is reportedly home to nearly 129 active volcanoes.

RED AVIATION WARNING FOR AUSTRALIAN TRAVELLERS

The eruption also triggered a red aviation warning by Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, as reported by news.com.au, prompting airlines and Australian travellers to exercise caution. Australians have been advised to prepare for possible flight delays on Thursday following the volcanic eruption.

According to news.com.au, while no flights between Denpasar and Australia have been cancelled so far, travellers are urged to monitor airline updates closely. At present, one Virgin Australia service - flight VA45 from Brisbane to Denpasar - has been delayed by about an hour.