Thousands flee as Mount Semeru volcano erupts in Indonesia
Videos shared on social media showed local residents running as towering smoke and ash blanketed nearby villages. VIDEO SCREENGRAB
Indonesia's Semeru volcano on the east of Java island erupted on Saturday, spewing out clouds of smoke and ash and triggering the evacuation of thousands to nearby areas including the district of Lumajang.
No damage to buildings or casualties were reported, the country's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said in a statement, adding that the local disaster agency was setting up evacuation tents.
Videos shared by the BNPB showed local residents running as towering smoke and ash blanketed some nearby villages in East Java province.
Volcanic ash and hot clouds were detected in the area at about 3 p.m. (0800 GMT), said Abdul Muhari, a BNPB official.
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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.
"This has been a very pressing, rapid condition since it erupted," he said. Haq added that evacuations were underway, but did not give details.
Semeru is among Indonesia's nearly 130 active volcanoes.