Indonesia: Thousands evacuated as volcano erupts

About 550 people fled from their homes on Tuesday after the Semeru volcano on Indonesia's main Java Island erupted, spewing incandescent lava and hot smoke, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Agency spokesperson Raditya Jati said that 300 of these people fled to an observation post, and the rest stayed at shelters, reports Xinhua news agency. The volcano, located in the Lumajang district of the East Java province, erupted at 1.23 a.m. on Tuesday. It released lava of up to 1 km and thick smoke of up to 11 km towards the Besok Kobokan area, southeast of the summit. At 3 a.m., there was a downpour leading to the rain water mixing with the volcanic ash around the observation post. "We estimate this condition happened due to the quite strong potential hot lava," Jati said. Currently, the status of the volcano's activity is at the second-highest level or Caution. (IANS)

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