November 21, 2025
LUMAJANG, EAST JAVA – Several people were injured and more than 1,000 residents evacuated after Mount Semeru, located on the border of Lumajang and Malang regency in East Java, erupted ten times on Wednesday.
The 3,676-meter-high volcano spewed ash clouds reaching up to 2 kilometers above its peak, sending lava and rocks as far as 13 kilometers down its slopes, according to officials.
Footage from the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) showed a massive cloud of hot ash billowing from the crater, blanketing the surrounding slopes.
The eruption was recorded by the Semeru Volcano Observation Post seismograph, registering a maximum amplitude of 40 millimeters and lasting 16 minutes and 40 seconds.
PVMBG raised the volcano’s alert level from Level II to Level III at 4 p.m. local time.
Just an hour later, authorities escalated the alert to Level IV, the highest level, because of increasing volcanic activity.
The eruption affected three villages in Lumajang Regency: Supit Urang and Oro-oro Ombo in Pronojiwo District, and Penanggal in Candipuro District.
Scores of homes were severely damaged by volcanic debris, Kompas.com reported. Many roofs collapsed, leaving behind wooden rubble and shattered walls. In some houses, only the front section remained, while the was completely destroyed.
Several buildings were reduced to their foundations, with little remaining above ground.
At least three people were injured in the eruption, but no fatalities have been reported.
Two of the victims, a married couple from Kediri Regency, slipped while riding a motorcycle on the Gladak Perak Bridge in Candipuro district, which was covered in hot ash from Mount Semeru’s eruption amid pyroclastic flows.
The bridge, a key access route to the volcano’s slopes, connects Lumajang and Malang regencies and lies along Semeru’s lahar flow path.
“The victims sustained burns on approximately 20 percent of their bodies and have been taken to the hospital for treatment,” Lumajang Regional Secretary Agus Triyono said, as quoted by Antara.
The eruption of Mount Semeru also killed at least 143 livestock belonging to local residents in Lumajang regency, including cows, goats and sheep.
Endra Novianto, head of the Livestock Division at the Lumajang Food Security and Agriculture Agency, said the deceased animals would be burned to prevent odor and limit the risk of bacterial contamination.
“We are still conducting further assessments to determine the full extent of the eruption’s impact on livestock,” he said. As of Thursday, more than 1,100 residents living near Mount Semeru had been evacuated by authorities and are being housed in temporary shelters at mosques, schools and government buildings in Pronojiwo and Candipuro districts.
Authorities are also in the process of evacuating 187 climbers, porters and tour guides who were stranded overnight at a lakeside campsite at Ranu Kumbolo, located about 6.4 kilometers from the volcano’s crater.
They were unable to descend the volcano because of poor weather and darkness, but authorities said they were not affected by the eruptions, as volcanic debris and ash clouds moved south and southeast, while Ranu Kumbolo lies to the north. By Thursday afternoon, 66 climbers had been successfully evacuated.
The Lumajang administration has declared a state of emergency effective for the next seven days to expedite the disaster mitigation process following Mt.
Semeru eruptions. The PVMBG has urged the public to avoid all activities in the southeast sector of Mount Semeru within a 20-kilometer radius of the volcano’s summit.
An 8-kilometer exclusion zone has also been established around the Semeru crater because of the risk of volcanic projectiles.
Authorities warn residents to stay at least 500 meters from the edges of the Besuk Kobokan River because of potential pyroclastic flows and lahars.
People are also advised to remain vigilant for pyroclastic flows, lava falls and lahars along rivers and valleys originating from the summit, especially Besuk Bang, Besuk Kembar and Besuk Sat, as well as smaller tributaries of Besuk Kobokan.
Mt. Semeru, the highest and one of the most active volcanoes on Java Island, has erupted 2,800 times since the start of the year. Its last major eruption in 2021 killed more than 50 people, damaged over 5,000 homes and forced nearly 10,000 residents to seek refuge.