Indonesia volcano eruption live: People run to safety after Mount Semeru erupts as red flight warning issued

Civilians have run for safety after Indonesia's Semeru volcano erupted on Wednesday, sending a 2km cloud of ash into the air.

Residents have been put on high alert on the island and urged to keep at least 2.5km away from the volcano to avoid health risks.

Semeru, more than 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) high, is one of Indonesia's nearly 130 active volcanoes. It is the highest mountain on the Indonesian island of Java. An eruption in 2021 caused the deaths of at least 57 people.

In a statement, Australia’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) have issued a red aviation warning, with local residents urged to stay within 500m of the riverbank along Besuk Kobokan to avoid being hit by “an expansion of hot clouds and lava flows”.

Key Points

• Mount Semeru erupts on Java Island
• Pictured: The moment Mount Semeru erupted
• Indonesia raises alert for volcano to highest level
• Video shows plumes of volcanic clouds
• Red aviation warning issued

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Residents urged to stay far away as risk lingers

Residents have been urged to stay at least 2.5km (1.5 miles) away from the site of the eruption due to ongoing risks.

Indonesia’s volcanology agency issued the warning as it increased the alert level of Java Island's tallest mountain to the highest.

The volcano spewed ash clouds as high as 2 km (1 mile) above the mountain's peak, the agency said,

Over 300 residents evacuated to government shelters

More than 300 residents in the three villages most at risk in the district of Lumajang had been evacuated to government shelters, National Disaster Mitigation Agency's spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

The eruption blanketed several villages with falling ash throughout the day, forcing authorities to raise the volcano's alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest, the agency said. No casualties have been reported.

Pictured: Semeru erupts, spewing ash into populated areas

What is a red aviation warning?

The Aviation Colour Codes provide the aviation community with information about volcanic activity and the potential presence of volcanic ash in the atmosphere, according to GeoNet.

A red code signifies that eruption is forecasted to be imminent with significant emission of ash into the atmosphere likely, or, eruption is underway with significant emission of ash into the atmosphere

Red aviation warning issued

The Australia Volcanic Ash Advisory has issued a red aviation warning with the public prohibited from engaging in activities within 500 meters of the riverbank along Besuk Kobokan.

🌋A significant #VolcanicEruption has occurred in #Indonesia. The eruption was clearly viewable in satellite imagery, north of #WA

Find out more from the Bureau's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC): https://t.co/yloNGYvMHo pic.twitter.com/qoHf2euWPe

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) June 18, 2025

Avalanches of hot lava and rock descends 7km down mountain

Mount Semeru in East Java province unleashed avalanches of searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) down its slopes several times since midday to dusk, while a column of hot clouds rose 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) into the air, Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a statement.

Indonesia raises alert for Mount Semeru to highest level

Indonesia has raised the alert for Mount Semeru volcano to the highest level following the series of eruptions.

The country straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.

Video shows plumes of volcanic clouds during eruption

The eruption was recorded by the Mount Semeru Observation Post, with a maximum amplitude of 40 mm and a duration of 16 minutes 40 seconds, according to Indonesian media Jawa Pos.

Gunung Semeru kembali menunjukkan aktivitas vulkanik tinggi. Gunung tertinggi di Jawa itu erupsi dengan meluncurkan awan panas guguran sejauh 5,5 kilometer hingga ke arah kawasan Besuk Kobokan, Rabu (19/11/2025).

Erupsi juga terekam alat seismograf Pos Pengamatan Gunung Semeru… pic.twitter.com/1Zh8HHqXvZ

— Jawa Pos (@jawapos) November 19, 2025

Pictured: The moment Mount Semeru erupted on Java Island

Semeru is one of Indonesia's 130 active volcanoes

Semeru, more than 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) high, is one of Indonesia's nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.

Mount Semeru erupts on Java Island

Civilians have run for safety after Indonesia's Semeru volcano erupted on Wednesday, sending a 54,000ft cloud of ash into the air.

Residents have been put on high alert on the island and urged to keep at least 2.5km away from the volcano to avoid health risks.