Indonesia’s Abdul Rachman Saleh airport in Malang district of East Java province. (source: antaranews.com)

Jakarta – Indonesia’s Abdul Rachman Saleh airport in Malang district of East Java province was temporarily closed from 10am on January 12 (local time) due to Mount Semeru's volcanic ash detected in the vicinity, the Ministry of Transport announced.

Director General of Indonesia’s Civil Aviation Kristi Endah Murni warned that the spread of volcanic ash can be dangerous and stop (the functioning of) aircraft engines.

Mount Semeru erupted again on January 8, producing an ash column of almost 2,000 metres. The eruption lasted 146 seconds, and its lava flew 800 metres southeastward.

The 3,676m-high volcano is located about 850 km to the southeast of Jakarta. In 2021, it erupted strongly, killing at least 50 people and forcing thousands to evacuate.

Indonesia is on the Pacific Ring of Fire - a string of volcanoes and sites of seismic activity, or earthquakes, around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. This is one of the most seismically active areas on the Earth.