JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities raised the alert for Mount Semeru volcano to the highest level on Wednesday after a series of eruptions prompted evacuations. The volcano is the highest peak on Java , the most densely populated island in Indonesia.

Mount Semeru in East Java province unleashed searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to 4.3 miles down its slopes several times from midday to dusk, while a thick column of hot clouds rose 1.2 miles into the air, Indonesia’s Geology Agency said in a statement.

The eruptions that unfolded throughout the day blanketed several villages with falling ash and forced authorities to raise the volcano’s alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest, the agency said. No casualti

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