KUALA LUMPUR – Mount Semeru – Indonesia’s tallest volcano – erupted four times today, sending plumes of grey ash up to 800m into the air, according to the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).
The first eruption occurred at 5.55am local time (6.55am Malaysian time), followed by a second at 6.30am. Two more eruptions were recorded later in the day, at 8.41am and 12.08pm. Each eruption lasted between two to two-and-a-half minutes and produced ash columns ranging from 700 to 800m high.
The 3,676-m volcano is located between Lumajang and Malang regencies in East Java. Authorities have urged the public to stay at least 3km from the summit and 8km southeast of it, and to avoid rivers originating from the volcano.
Also today, which is Earth Day, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck 269km southeast of Pondaguitan in the Philippines at 10.17 GMT or 6.17pm Malaysian time, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake’s epicentre was at a depth of 117.8km. – April 22, 2025