Mount Semeru, Indonesia’s highest volcano on Java Island, erupted dramatically on Wednesday afternoon, spewing a towering column of ash and gas more than 13 kilometres into the sky and prompting authorities to raise the alert level to its maximum. The explosion blanketed villages in darkness and triggered the evacuation of hundreds of residents in Lumajang Regency, East Java. By Thursday, nearly 900 people remained in temporary shelters set up in schools, mosques, and village halls, while volcanic activity had subsided but continued to fluctuate, according to the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

Residents described scenes of terror as thick ash turned day into night shortly after 4 p.m. local time. “It was like midnight. It was very dark,” said 20-year-old Faiz Ramadhani, a local resident. Volcanic material rained down on nearby communities, partially burying homes under ash and rock fragments up to a metre deep and flattening at least one elementary school. Several houses sustained roof damage, and at least three people suffered burns. On Thursday, rescue teams evacuated nearly 190 hikers who had been stranded at a campsite on the volcano’s upper slopes, highlighting the persistent danger in the exclusion zone that extends seven kilometres from the crater.

The eruption forced authorities to maintain the highest aviation warning and prohibit all activity within an expanded danger radius. While no fatalities have been reported so far in this event, the disaster evoked memories of Semeru’s deadly December 2021 eruption, which claimed more than 50 lives, destroyed over 5,000 homes, and displaced nearly 10,000 people. Officials said many residents chose to spend the night in shelters out of lingering trauma, even as seismic activity showed signs of easing. Disaster agency teams continued to assess infrastructure damage and distribute masks and aid to affected villages.

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Indonesia, located on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, is home to nearly 130 active volcanoes, with Semeru among the most consistently restless. The latest eruption serves as a stark reminder of the archipelago’s vulnerability to sudden natural disasters. Authorities urged residents and tourists to strictly observe exclusion zones and stay alert for possible renewed activity, while monitoring equipment recorded ongoing fluctuations in seismic and gas emissions that could signal further eruptions in the coming days.

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