VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Cars parked on a road in Malang district, East Java, are covered in volcanic ash expelled by Mount Semeru in Lumajang District, East Java, on Saturday (December 4, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-BPBD Malang) - 

Volcanic ash expelled by Mount Semeru in Lumajang District has reached Malang District, an official from the Regional Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD), Malang, confirmed on Saturday.

Acting head of the emergency and logistics department of the Malang BPBD, Sadono Irawan, said that the agency has received reports of volcanic ashfall in Malang District, which is located west of Mount Semeru.

"Though Malang District has not directly been affected by the eruption, the volcanic ash has reached several regions in the district," Irawan informed.

Volcanic ashfall has been reported in Ampelgading, Tirtoyudo, Wajak, and Bantur Sub-districts of Malang, he said.

Meanwhile, Ampelgading sub-district head Achmad Sovie confirmed that despite the volcanic ashfall in the region, the sub-district, located close to Lumajang district, is relatively safe as the eruption has not directly affected it.

"Regions in Malang are relatively safe from the Semeru eruption in Lumajang," Sovie said.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) informed that there was an increase in volcanic activity on the 3,676-meter Mount Semeru, which led to an eruption at 3.20 p.m. local time (UTC +7) on Saturday afternoon.

The agency confirmed that the eruption dispersed volcanic ash over several regions, and the pyroclastic flow was headed to Besuk Kobokan in Pronojiwo sub-district, Lumajang district.

The Mount Semeru volcano observation post in Gunung Sawur reported that pyroclastic flow from the volcano occurred from 2.47 p.m.

The observation post later informed that by 3.10 p.m., a clear visual of the volcanic ash reaching Besuk Kobokan had been obtained, with reports of a strong sulphuric odor.

Lumajang District Deputy Head Indah Amperawati instructed officers from Lumajang BPBD and the Social Office to set up evacuation centers and public kitchens for residents affected by the eruption and inspect affected areas to pick up residents confined to their homes by the thick volcanic ash//ANT

A screenshot of the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Major General Suharyanto, addressing a press conference on the Mount Semeru eruption on Saturday (December 4, 2021). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus/uyu) - 

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) responded quickly to the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang district, East Java province, by evacuating residents and sending humanitarian aid for them.

"The Lumajang District Regional Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) has urged the community and miners to avoid the area around the Mujur and Curah Kobokan Rivers,” BNPB head Major General Suharyanto informed at a press conference that was broadcast on BNPB’s YouTube channel here on Saturday.

As soon as the eruption was reported, a team from Lumajang district's BPBD along with other joint rescue teams headed to the disaster location in Candipuro and Pronojiwo sub-districts to monitor the situation, collect data, take quick action, and evacuate residents, he said.

Furthermore, it established a number of evacuation sites for victims, he added.

Currently, the evacuation sites are located in Supiturang village and Curah Kobokan village in Pronojiwo sub-district and Sumberwuluh village in Candipuro sub-district.

The BNPB head said that on Saturday night, the agency dispatched a Quick Response Team along with a Health Crisis Center team from the Health Ministry to assist the Lumajang district BPBD and East Java provincial BPBD.

The teams were dispatched at 9 p.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) by land to deliver logistics assistance consisting of tents, cloth masks, medical masks, N95 masks, and hand sanitizers, he said.

"We ask the public, especially in affected areas, to remain calm, stay alert, and continue to follow the instructions from the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), BNPB, and other government officials," Suharyanto added.A Mount Semeru Observation Post officer in Poncokusumo hamlet reported pyroclastic flow emanating from the volcano at 2:47 p.m. WIB, with a maximum amplitude of 20 mm.

"At 3.10 p.m. WIB, the Gunung Sawur Post reported that volcanic ash from the pyroclastic flow was clearly observed flowing towards Besuk Kobokan village, which smelled of sulfur," the BNPB head noted.

According to the PVMBG, lava avalanches were observed sliding 500 to 800 meters, with the center of the avalanches lying approximately 500 meters below the crater, he said//ANT

Officials from the Indonesian National Police's Cyber Crime Directorate and the FBI's Cyber Division in Washington D.C. on November 30, 2021. (ANTARA/HO-Dittipidsiber Bareskrim Polri) - 

The Cyber Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Cyber Division have agreed to cooperate in investigating international cybercriminal networks.

The Police's Cyber Crime Director Brigadier General Asep Edi Suheri led the police delegation at the meeting with officials from the FBI's Cyber Division and Washington D.C.'s FBI local office on November 30, 2021. Officials from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights accompanied the Indonesian police delegation.  

"We discussed the arrangement for investigating international cybercrime networks that involve criminal actors from multiple countries," Suheri informed in a written statement here on Saturday.

Besides sharing information regarding each division's role in investigating hacking cases, the officials also discussed cyber threats encountered in their countries, the brigadier general informed.

He said that the discussion was aimed at exploring new opportunities for collaboration in handling cybercrimes in Indonesia, the United States, or other countries whose nationals are implicated in the crimes, either as suspects or victims.

"We also discussed the successful cybercrime investigation that led to arrest of suspects implicated in trading hacking tools used to bypass and hack international start-up application user accounts," Suheri added.

The investigation revealed that the hacking tools had been used to target around 70 thousand user accounts in 43 countries, with the total losses pegged at Rp27 billion (around US$1.863 million), he noted.

"The ongoing investigation could unravel more victims and financial losses from the cybercrime scheme," he said.

Suheri confirmed that the Cyber Crime Directorate has summoned several cybercrime victims from New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles for questioning with regard to the ongoing cybercrime investigation.

Several parties, including the FBI and Indonesia's Consulate General, have assisted in the cybercrime investigation, he said.

"We have been assisted by local FBI forces and the Indonesian Consulate General in coordinating the Cyber Crime Directorate investigation," Suheri added//ANT

Volcanic ash spewing from Mount Semeru on Saturday afternoon (December 4, 2021), as viewed from Oro-oro Ombo village, Pronojiwo sub-district, Lumajang district, East Java. (ANTARA/HO-Oro-oro Ombo resident) - 

Dozens of residents of Sumberwuluh village, Candipuro sub-district, Lumajang District, East Java, were shifted to safe areas after Mount Semeru erupted and spewed volcanic ash on Saturday afternoon.

"We got information that some 65 residents of Sumberwuluh village have sought shelter in safe locations. We have also mobilized the entire Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) officers to evacuate other residents to safe locations," the deputy head of Lumajang District Indah Amperawati said here.

Some officers of Lumajang BPBD and the Social Office have been dispatched to the affected areas to pick up residents confined by the thick volcanic ash in their homes, she informed.

"No casualty reported due to the eruption, and we hope there will be no fatalities. To prevent the casualties, we have swiftly evacuated residents to safe locations as other residents have sought shelter at the local mosque," Amperawati stated.

The volcanic ash of Mount Semeru has blackened the sky in affected areas, including Pronojiwo and Candipuro sub-districts, she added.

"We have received a report that three hamlets in Pronojiwo and Candipuro sub-districts covered in thick volcanic ash from the eruption. Kajar Kuning and Curah Kobokan are among the affected hamlets," she informed.

She confirmed the Lumajang BPBD and Social Office to set up evacuation centers and public kitchens for residents affected by the eruption. 

Meanwhile, Kristianto, an officer of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre (PVMBG), said the 3,676-meter Mount Semeru began erupting around 1.30 p.m. local time (UTC +7).

The eruption occurred with pyroclastic flow and volcanic mudflow, he added. 

"The visual of Mount Semeru indicates the volcano covered with thick volcanic ash, and the pyroclastic flow is streaming down to Besuk Kobokan river. The eruption is ongoing as we report this situation," Kristianto said//ANT