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

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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,

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.

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

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.

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 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.