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Indonesia Keeps Mount Semeru at Highest Alert After 54,000-Foot Ash Plume

Officials report more than 900 evacuees, with roughly 170 stranded climbers being escorted to safety and no casualties reported.

Overview

  • Darwin’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre confirmed ash reaching about 16.5 km (54,000 ft) and issued a red aviation advisory as airlines said operations were continuing while they monitor conditions.
  • Indonesia’s volcanology agency maintained Level 4 status and enforced exclusion zones including 8 km along the Besuk Kobokan valley, a 2.5 km summit radius, and guidance to avoid riverbanks by 500 m beyond that distance.
  • Authorities documented multiple eruptive pulses and persistent pyroclastic flows, with runouts reported from roughly 7 km to as far as about 13 km down established drainages.
  • Evacuations surpassed 900 people into government shelters in East Java, as local disaster teams patrolled affected areas and checked for any residents who might still be trapped.
  • Roughly 170–178 climbers stranded near Ranu Kumbolo were reported safe and are being escorted off the mountain, according to park officials, with no confirmed casualties from the eruption.