Video footage shows giant ash cloud at volcanic eruption in Indonesia: 2,000 people evacuated | Instagram VTM NEWS

The Semeru erupted after a series of earthquakes in Java, one of which killed more than 330 people last month. The Center for Volcanology and Disaster Prevention (PVMBG) has raised the alert level for Semeru from level three to four, spokesperson Hendra Gunawan told Kompas TV. “That means the danger in the populated zones and the activity of the volcano have increased.”

There are no reports of casualties yet, but Gunawan advises everyone to stay at least 9 kilometers from the crater. Authorities are also calling on the population to avoid a 13-kilometer zone near a river, where the ash cloud moved.

Shelters have been set up to accommodate displaced persons and authorities have distributed masks to local residents.

Japan’s meteorological agency has issued a tsunami alert for the islands of Miyako and Yaeyama, in the extreme south of the archipelago. An hour later, no damage was reported, according to Kyodo news agency.

The volcano also erupted a year ago. Then 51 people died and nearly 10,000 people had to flee their homes as ash and mudslides engulfed villages. The volcano, with a height of almost 3,700 meters, is the highest point in Java. The Semeru is located in the eastern part of the island, about 640 kilometers from the capital Jakarta.

There are 142 volcanoes in Indonesia. As a result, the country has the largest population in the world living near a volcano. About 8.6 million Indonesians live within a radius of 10 kilometers from a volcano. The country is located in the so-called Ring of Fire, an area in the Pacific Ocean with many active volcanoes where many earthquakes occur.