Semeru volcano on Indonesia’s Java Island has erupted, spewing a 1.5-km high ash column, authorities said, according to Xinhua.

The country’s Volcano Disaster Mitigation of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Sunday afternoon raised its volcanic alert level for Semeru volcano to level 4, the highest level of a four-tier volcanic alert system.

The authorities said they had been evacuating residents of the two nearest villages, Supit Urang village and Sumber Wuluh village. They had also warned locals to stay away at least 13 kilometers from the eruption range.

“We’ve also told all people living surrounding the volcano to not do any activities around Besuk Kobokan riverside as the river has a potential to flow hot clouds and lava,” the spokesman of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Abdul Muhari, said in a written statement.

Exactly one year ago on Dec. 4, 2021, the Semeru volcano also erupted, killing at least 51 people and injuring 169 others.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency