JAKARTA: Multiple volcanic eruptions were recorded across Indonesia on Friday, with Mount Ili Lewotolok erupting six times and sending ash as high as 700 metres above its summit, while Mount Semeru and Mount Ibu also remained active.
The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre (PVMBG) said Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara, which remains at Level II in Indonesia’s four-tier volcano alert system, recorded the eruptions between 12.57 am and 9.06 am local time.
The latest eruption produced a thick grey ash column reaching about 700 metres above the summit and drifting westward, while earlier eruptions sent ash between 500 and 600 metres above the summit towards the west and northwest, according to data published on the centre’s website.
Mount Semeru in East Java, which remains at Level III, the second-highest alert level, erupted four times between 12.26 am and 6.16 am, while Mount Ibu in North Maluku, which remains at Level II, recorded three eruptions between 12.49 am and 8.58 am, according to the data.
Meanwhile, the Geological Agency said Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra remained at Level III and continued to show volcanic activity following the end of its roughly 25-hour continuous eruption.
“The volcano’s activity has shown an overall declining trend, although the probability of further eruptions remains high,” the agency said in its latest social media post, adding that a three-kilometre exclusion zone around the active crater remains in place.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said satellite imagery detected no volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau or Mount Ibu, although cloud cover could obscure observations.
In a separate development, the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park authority said part of the Mount Bromo tourism area in East Java had been closed from Thursday until further notice following a fire at Savana Pengol as firefighting operations continued.
The authority said in a statement that the Jemplang entrance in Malang was closed to visitors, while tourists could still enter through Cemoro Lawang in Probolinggo and Wonokitri in Pasuruan, with access limited to the Sea of Sand and Watangan Savannah.
It said the Malang-Lumajang transport route remained open, while visitors were urged to stay away from the affected area and avoid activities that could trigger new fires. – BERNAMA
