JAKARTA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Semeru volcano in the Indonesian province of East Java Island erupted early on Friday, prompting authorities to warn residents to stay away from the eruption area.
The mountain, 3,676 meters above sea level, remained in the third danger level, below the highest level of IV.
According to the Semeru Volcano Monitoring Post, the volcano on Friday exploded 12 times.
"At 1:43 a.m., the volcano launched hot ashes as far as 3.5 km from the crater to the southeast," said Semeru Volcano Monitoring Post Officer Ghufron Alwi.
Authorities asked people to remain vigilant and avoid its southeastern sector of 13 km and a five km radius around the summit to avoid an eruption.
The eruption of Mount Semeru in December 2021 caused tens of thousands of people to flee home and claimed more than 50 lives. ■