Indonesia’s Semeru volcano erupts, spews huge ash cloud

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The highest volcano on Indonesia’s most densely populated island of Java has spewed thick columns of ash high into the sky, triggering panic among people living nearby. There have been no immediate reports of casualties. Mount Semeru’s sudden eruption in Lumajang district in East Java province left several villages around its slopes blanketed with falling ash. The eruption was accompanied by a thunderstorm and rain, which pushed lava and smoldering debris and formed thick mud that destroyed at least one bridge connecting two main villages, as well as hampering the evacuation. TV reports showed people running in panic under a huge ash cloud, their faces wet from rain mixed with volcanic dust. The 12,060-foot Semeru had last erupted in January, with no casualties.