Indonesian rescue teams have successfully evacuated more than 170 individuals following a sudden, powerful eruption of Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on the island of Java. The large-scale operation concluded on Thursday, 20th November 2025, amidst official warnings that continued seismic activity makes further eruptions highly probable.
Mass Rescue Operation on Java's Highest Peak
A total of 178 people, including climbers, tourists, guides, and porters, were safely extracted after being stranded near the summit. The group had been ascending the 3,676-metre (12,060-foot) peak in East Java's Lumajang district when the volcano unleashed its fury on Wednesday, trapping them at the Ranu Kumbolo camping area.
Priatin Hadi Wijaya, head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation, confirmed their safety in a video news conference, stating, "They are safe and now being helped to return." Officials confirmed that the camping area is situated on the mountain's northern slope, outside the main 8-kilometre (5-mile) danger zone and not in the path of the primary pyroclastic flow, which moved south-southeast. However, concerns remain about the group's exposure to falling volcanic ash.
Eruption Details and Escalating Dangers
The eruption saw Mount Semeru unleash searing clouds of hot ash, rock, and gas, known as pyroclastic density currents, which travelled up to 13 kilometres (8 miles) down its slopes. A thick column of hot clouds rose 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) into the air, prompting the Indonesian Geology Agency to raise the volcano's alert status to its highest level.
Muhammad Wafid, the agency's chief, reported that a series of these incandescent avalanches of volcanic material were visible descending through the Besuk Kobokan River valley on the southern flank. He urgently warned people to stay away from the area along the Besuk Kobokan River, which serves as a path for the lava flow, and indicated that authorities are considering expanding the current danger zone.
Villages Blanketed and Past Trauma Remembered
The dramatic eruptions, which unfolded from midday to dusk on Wednesday, blanketed several nearby villages in thick layers of volcanic ash, blocking out sunlight. Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, confirmed that nearly 1,000 residents from three high-risk villages in Lumajang district were evacuated to government shelters. No casualties have been reported from this event.
However, local media reported two motorcyclists suffered severe burns after crashing due to hot ash on a bridge. Social media videos depicted the terrifying scale of the event, showing a dense cloud of ash sweeping through plantations and forested valleys.
This event evokes painful memories of Semeru's last major eruption in December 2021, which killed 51 people and left hundreds with burns. That disaster forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate and led the government to relocate nearly 3,000 homes. Despite such risks, tens of thousands of people continue to live on the volcano's fertile slopes.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 280 million people, is situated along the seismically active Pacific 'Ring of Fire', making it prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. The region's vulnerability was further highlighted on Thursday when a separate magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Seram, Indonesia, at a depth of 136 kilometres.
