Video: Volcano Erupts In Indonesia, Spews Ash 13km Into Sky

A volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java erupted on Wednesday, throwing ash and gas kilometres into the sky and forcing officials to raise the alert status to its highest level.

Mount Semeru in eastern Java, about 310 kilometres west of the tourist hotspot of Bali, erupted at 2:13 pm local time (0713 GMT), spewing what are known as pyroclastic flows, Indonesian geological agency head Muhammad Wafid said.

"The public is advised not to engage in activities within an 8-kilometre (5-mile) radius of the crater or peak of Mount Semeru due to the risk of being struck by ejected rocks," he said in a statement.

The national disaster agency said the plume of ash had risen as far as 13 kilometres (eight miles) into the air. 

#Indonesia 🇮🇩 #volcano_eruption live : The webcam footage of a pyroclastic flow from Mount Semeru's eruption showing superheated ash and rocks surging down the slope at high speeds amid surrounding vegetation. pic.twitter.com/XJtCajzjrZ

— 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐫 𝐀𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐡𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧 (@Shk__R) November 19, 2025

Its spokesman, Abdul Muhari, said at least 300 villagers living near the volcano have been evacuated to two temporary shelters. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The geological agency also said that seismic activity at Mount Semeru remained high. 

Authorities at Ngurah Rai airport in Bali said flight schedules were operating as usual so far.

An eruption by Semeru in 2021 killed more than 50 people and damaged more than 5,000 homes, forcing almost 10,000 people to seek refuge.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes substantial volcanic and seismic activity. 

The Southeast Asian archipelago has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

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