MOUNT RAUNG'S STATUS INCREASED TO ALERT LEVEL III

Jember, E Java, June 29 (Antara) - The Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has increased the status of Mount Raung from Waspada (Alert Level II) to Siaga (Alert Level III) on Monday. "The status of Mount Raung has been increased to Siaga at 9 a.m. local time due to the escalation in the mount's seismic activities," Head of Volcano Observation and Investigation of the PVMBG Gede Swastika stated during a telephonic conversation, here, Monday. Since the last two weeks, the PVMBG has been monitoring the seismic activities of the volcano, which is 3,332 meters above sea level and is located on the border of Jember, Bondowoso, and Banyuwangi Districts. The frequency of eruptions has escalated. The volcano has also spewed lava and volcanic ash reaching 300 meters high into the sky, Swastika revealed. Moreover, volcanic tremors had continued to increase, with a maximum amplitude of 21 millimeters. The mount's tremble was audible at Raung Observation Post in Songgon, Banyuwangi District. During the alert level III status, the PVMBG has set an exclusion zone of three kilometers from the volcano's peak. "No residents or climbers are allowed to go within the three-kilometer radius of the active crater," he remarked. Meanwhile, Head of Regional Disaster Mitigation of Jember Suhanan stated that the Agency has received a notification letter from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources regarding disaster mitigation efforts in the affected region. Therefore, the local administration has been informing the local communities regarding the volcano's current status. Suhanan affirmed that the Jember Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has devised a document of the contingency plan of Mount Raung's eruption for early anticipation and mitigation in the affected region. Mount Raung is one of the active volcanoes in Java Island. It has a 2-kilometer wide caldera surrounded by a grayish rim. The difference in color of the rim and the flanks of the volcanoes is caused by the rim's lack of vegetation as compared to the healthy and extensive vegetation on the flanks.