By Tuesday at 9 a.m. local time, some 300 of the 550 residents had taken refuge at the monitoring post while the rest had sought shelter in Supiturang Village, according to the press release of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the Lumajang District Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD).
The BNPB noted that the villages to potentially be affected by Mount Semeru's volcanic activities include Supiturang, Oro-oro Ombo, and Rowobaung in Pronojiwo Sub-district and Sumberwuluh in Candipuro Sub-district in Lumajang District.
The BPBD in Lumajang has established a command post in Kamar Kajang Hamlet, Sumberwuluh Village, Candipuro Sub-district, and distributed four thousand masks among the affected residents.
Military and police personnel as well as employees of relevant agencies have partaken in emergency response efforts to mitigate the impact of the volcano's activities.
Mount Semeru, straddling the districts of Malang and Lumajang, East Java, has experienced tremors and spewed hot clouds several times in the past few days, according to the Mount Semeru Geological Board's official website.
The alert level for the volcano is currently set at under level II.
Residents are advised to not conduct activities within a one-kilometer radius from the crater and a four-kilometer radius from the crater’s opening in the southeast of the volcano.
Chief of Prevention, Alertness, and Logistics of the Lumajang District Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) Wawan Hadi Siswoyo stated that the incandescent lava flowed from the Jonggiring Saloko crater for up to three thousand meters in the direction of Besuk Kobokan for which he urged residents to adhere to BPBD's directives while taking refuge.
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Translator: Fiqih Arfani/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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