Indonesians flee homes after volcano erupts; Death toll from landslides rises to 30

by AFP Staff Writers
Jakarta (AFP) Nov 20, 2025

Hundreds of Indonesians stayed in temporary shelters Thursday after a volcano on the main island of Java erupted, damaging houses and a school, with around 190 people evacuated from its slopes, authorities said.

Mount Semeru in eastern Java erupted on Wednesday afternoon, throwing ash and gas more than 13 kilometres (eight miles) away and forcing officials to raise the alert status to its highest level.

Volcanic activity had largely calmed down but was still fluctuating on Thursday, according to the Indonesian geological agency.

Nearly 900 people stayed in shelters set up in schools, mosques and village halls after the eruption, disaster agency official Sultan Syafaat said.

"During the night, they stay (in shelters) probably because they are still traumatised," he said.

Resident Faiz Ramadhani told AFP the eruption had been "very horrible."

"At that time, four o'clock in the afternoon, it was like midnight. It was very dark," the 20-year-old said.

Some houses near the volcano were partially buried by volcanic ash and rock fragments.

Nurul Yakin Pribadi, head of Supiturang village, said he was "shocked" to find his house was damaged.

"There was a metre-high spill of (volcanic) materials on my house," he told AFP. "Many people's houses were damaged."

At least one elementary school was flattened, Lumajang district secretary Agus Triyono said, adding that authorities were still gathering data on the damage to infrastructure.

At least three people suffered from burns, a search and rescue official said in a statement.

Authorities were also evacuating nearly 190 people from the volcano's slopes on Thursday, most of whom were hikers who had been stranded at a campsite after the eruption, said Rudijanto Tjahja Nugraha, head of the Semeru national park.

An eruption by Semeru in 2021 killed more than 50 people and damaged more than 5,000 homes, forcing almost 10,000 people to seek refuge.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes substantial volcanic and seismic activity.

The Southeast Asian archipelago has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Death toll from Indonesia landslides rises to 30
Banjarnegara, Indonesia (AFP) Nov 21, 2025 - The death toll from multiple landslides in Indonesia's Java island last week has risen to 30, as the search to find many still missing continues, a disaster official said.

Heavy rainfall triggered a landslide that destroyed at least 48 homes in the Banjarnegara district in Central Java province on Saturday, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

More than 700 personnel from agencies including military, police, search and rescue teams and volunteers have been deployed to Banjarnegara, as well as tracking dogs, BNPB spokesman Abdul Muhari said late Thursday.

"The joint search and rescue team has found seven deceased victims of the landslide disaster... With this discovery, the death toll has risen to 10, while 18 people are still being searched for," he said.

An AFP photographer saw heavy machinery digging through landslides in Banjarnegara villages as rescue teams combed through the debris.

Muhari said nearly 1,000 people are still evacuated from the district and warned that the potential for subsequent landslides due to rain, water puddles and flowing springs may hamper operations.

A devastating landslide also hit three villages in the Central Java district of Cilacap on Thursday last week.

At least 20 people are confirmed dead and three are still missing in Cilacap, located around 74 kilometres (46 miles) away from Banjarnegara, BNPB said Wednesday -- with officials yet to provide an update.

The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings landslides, flash floods and waterborne diseases.

The National Weather Service has also warned that more heavy rain is expected across several regions in the coming weeks.

Climate change has impacted storm patterns, including the duration and intensity of the season, leading to heavier rainfall, flash flooding, and stronger wind gusts.

Flash floods and landslides in a remote area of Papua in Indonesia's east killed at least 23 people, Muhari said.