Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupts sending column of hot ash 50,000ft into the sky

A volcano in Indonesia has sent a plume of boiling ash 50,000ft into the air.

Residents have been forced to flee after Mount Semeru in East Java erupted, it’s second of the year.

Social media footage from the group shows people fleeing the potentially deadly cloud as it swallows everything in its path.

According to an Australian organisation which monitors volcanic ash on behalf of the aviation industry, the column has become ‘disconnected’ from the summit and is moving south west at more than 70km an hour.

Covid boosters likely to protect against Omicron, major study finds, and other top stories from December 03, 2021. Indonesian seismologists estimated the column to be around 12,000ft but the Australian group warned pilots in the area that the cloud could be rising to as high as 50,000ft.

The eruption began at about 3pm local time (8am GMT) and is ongoing.

No damage to buildings or casualties were reported, the country’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said in a statement.

Semeru, the tallest peak on the island, is well-known for its volcanic activity

The local disaster agency was setting up evacuation tents to help displaced people until they can return to their homes.

Thoriqul Haq, district head of Lumajang near Semeru, told Reuters that the road and bridge connecting Lumajang and the nearby city of Malang were severed.

He added: ‘This has been a very pressing, rapid condition since it erupted.’

Semeru, also known as ‘The Great Mountain’, is the tallest peak on the island and is renowned for its volcanic activity.

It is known to be highly active with regular eruptions taking places but today’s appears to be on a different scale.

The area around the volcano has been plunged into total darkness with the plume blocking out the sun.

A similar eruption occurred in January, with villages engulfed by the huge burst of material from deep below the mountain.

The island sits on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, an area of the planet where tectonic plates meet and volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are a fact of life.

Image: bbc