Mount Semeru: Indonesian volcano erupts as 40,000ft ash clouds ‘block out the sun’

The active volcano erupted around 2.50pm local time

Mount Semeru, an active Indonesian volcano, has erupted in Lumajang City, East Java. Staggering footage of the eruption is circulating all over social media as locals flee the area which is now being blanketed in hot smoke and ash. https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1467073613828345858?s=20 As you can see above, the plumes of ash clouds are towering above the city, with reports suggesting that they have reached as high as 40,000 feet into the air. Those evacuating the area are still sharing footage of the other-worldly ash cloud as it sweeps over the region: https://twitter.com/daffafuck/status/1467047151079288840?s=20 Not only is the now heavily polluted air itself of concern, but the lava spilling from the mountain is running into the city's local river. Here you can see footage of the liquid magma running through the island river, essentially, leading a boiling flood of red hot lava through the area and down towards the city: https://twitter.com/Brave_spirit81/status/1467061921606209546?s=20 As if the images weren't already striking enough, more footage of the conditions in the aftermath of the explosion show the town seemingly cast in darkness as the gigantic smoke cloud engulfs the city. This clip sees a man driving out of the city limits amidst the thick, dark cloud of ash, in which you can barely make out people walking down the street. https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1467077312537632771?s=20 The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre has issued a warning to all residents, with MAGMA Indonesia - an information service that reports on natural disasters - saying that the eruption recorded a maximum amplitude of 25mm and a duration of 5160 seconds on the seismograph, also advising that anyone in the vicinity evacuate.

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