JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Mount Semeru, the highest-density volcano on the island of Java with the highest density in Indonesia, is warming up to 4.5 kilometers (almost 3 miles) on Saturday.
There were no immediate evacuations, but the National Disaster Mitigation Agency warned people living in villages on the slopes of the 3,676-meter (12,060-foot) high mountain to be alert for signs of danger.
Agency spokeswoman Raditya Jati said people around the river basin on the mountain slopes should be wary of the high intensities of rain that can cause lava floods.
The Indonesia Center for Geological Risk Mitigation and Volcanology did not raise the alert status of Semeru, which had already been at the third highest level since it began to erupt in May. The volcano threw hot ash for 3,000 meters in early December, causing panic among the villagers.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, is located in the “Ring of Fire” of the Pacific and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.
A strong earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Sulawesi early Friday and killed at least 46 people.