JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities raised the alert for Mount Semeru volcano to the highest level on Wednesday after a series of eruptions. The volcano lies on the country's most densely populated island.

Mount Semeru in East Java province unleashed avalanches of searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that travelled up to 7 kilometrs down its slopes several times since midday to dusk, while a column of hot clouds rose 2 kilometres into the air, Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a statement.

The eruption throughout the day blanketed several villages with falling ash and forcing authorities to raise the volcano's alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest, the agency said.

No casualties have been reported.

Semeru, also known as Mahameru, has erup

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