A Level III alert status is in place for Mount Semeru, which has been in an active phase for the past few years, the state-run Antara news agency reported.

“An eruption occurred on Sunday at 5.46am local time, with an observed column height of 1,200m above the summit,” said Liswanto, an officer at the Mount Semeru observation post, Bernama reported.

Authorities placed a cordon with a 5km radius of the crater due to the risk of ejected rocks.

According to monitoring data, eruption columns varied in height, ranging between 500m and 1,200m. Semeru, which rises 3,676m (12,060ft) above sea level, is among Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and has a history of eruptions that have at times claimed lives.

Indonesia lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a highly active seismic zone that is home to more than 120 active volcanoes.

Separately, a moderate earthquake of 5.8 magnitude was reported to have occurred in the north Moluccas Sea, at a depth of 10km about 131km east of Bitung, Indonesia.