Indah Masdar, deputy head of Lumajang district, said at a press conference held in Jakarta, the eruption left at least one person dead and 41 others injured.
Budi Santosa, Chief of the Disaster Management Department of East Java Province, earlier on Saturday said two sub-districts had been “heavily affected” by the volcano’s eruption.
Volcanic ash, sulfur smell was reported around 3 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET), the Mount Semeru volcano observation paper reported. It added that clouds of hot ash were falling over an East Java village, Sapitarang, in Pronojiwo district.
Video shared by government emergency response teams shows residents in the area fleeing huge plumes of thick smoke.
Other footage shared by locals showed people gathering at a local mosque in Besuk Kobokan as ash and smoke blanketed the surrounding streets.
Santosa told the press conference that he believes medical facilities in the disaster area, primary health centers or hospitals, will be able to receive victims.
His team is currently trying to conduct evacuations and prepare refugee camps in the area, which will provide food, masks, blankets and shelter for displaced people.
Indonesia lies between two continental plates on what is known as the Ring of Fire, a band that surrounds the Pacific basin that leads to a high degree of tectonic and volcanic activity.
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