Indonesia’s Mount Semeru has unleashed powerful eruptions this week, sending towering ash clouds into the sky and pushing lava and rocks more than 13 km down its slopes. Authorities have maintained the highest alert level and issued aviation warnings as ash drifts across parts of Java.

More than 1 000 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters, while over 170 stranded climbers have been rescued. Officials have set strict exclusion zones and urged communities to avoid river valleys vulnerable to pyroclastic flows and mudslides.