Mount Semeru erupts three times, sends volcanic ash 1,000m high

Mount Semeru in East Java erupted three times on Monday morning, sending volcanic ash as high as 1,000m above its summit, Indonesian authorities said.

According to the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre (PVMBG), the highest ash column was recorded during an eruption at 6.28am local time, reaching about 4,676m above sea level.

Based on data published on its website, the eruption lasted 140 seconds, following two earlier eruptions at 4.20am and 5.53am that sent ash columns about 500m and 800m above the summit, respectively.

Elsewhere in Indonesia, Mount Ibu in North Maluku erupted at 12.39am, sending a thick grey ash column about 200m above its summit and eastward.

PVMBG said the eruption lasted 53 seconds, while Mount Ili Lewotolok in East Nusa Tenggara erupted at 4.30am, producing an ash column about 200m above its summit.

The white ash column from Ili Lewotolok was observed moving northwest, and the eruption lasted 34 seconds.