Mount Raung located on the borders of Banyuwangi, Jember and Bondowoso Districts, East Java Province, erupted and emitted volcanic ash that smothered several villages in Banyuwangi on Sunday.
Many residents of the affected villages suffered minor eye irritation while outdoor but they were urged to remain calm. The erupting mountain spewed a smoke column reaching a height of 1,000 meters above the top of the crater. Weak to medium pressure crater smoke was observed in gray color with moderate to thick intensity.
The 3,332-meter-tall Mount Raung experienced continuous microtremor recorded at an amplitude of 3-20 MM (dominant 6 MM). The Banyuwangi Airport in East Java Province on Sunday was temporarily closed due to volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Raung because it poses a risk to flight safety. Based on observations carried out by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Mount Raung’s volcanic ash had reached Banyuwangi Airport.
In addition to Mount Raung, at present Mount Merapi located between Central Java and Yogyakarta and Mount Semeru in East Java, are also erupting and trigger volcanic ash rains covering several villages.