Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupts, spewing gigantic 54,000ft ash column: Watch

Indonesia’s Mount Semeru volcano erupted on Wednesday and spewed gigantic 54,000 foot ash columns, resulting in raising the alert level to the highest.

Huge ash clouds as high as 2km raised above the mountain’s peak after the eruption, causing the residents to flee for their lives.

The Australian Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) issued a warning to the residents and instructed them to keep a 2.5 km distance away due to high risks. 

“The ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity to the north and northwest. At the time of this report, the eruption was still ongoing,” reported by Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer, Mukdas Sofian.

The authorities have issued a level II alert and restricted the public to avoid the south eastern area, especially along Besuk Kobokan within 8km of the summit.

Indonesian authorities evacuated more than 900 and facilitated the safety of 170 climbers who were stranded after the eruption of Semeru volcano.

Mount Semeru, one of the country’s tallest mountains, is also considered as one of Indonesia's nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Indonesia sits at the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, making it prone to a large number of volcanoes and earthquakes.