Thousands on alert in Indonesia's East Java after volcano eruption

Thousands of residents in Indonesia's East Java are on high alert after a violent eruption yesterday at the island's tallest volcano prompted authorities to impose an 8-kilometer no-go zone and forced evacuations of entire villages. 

The provincial search and rescue agency deployed teams to the worst-affected areas near Mount Semeru to assess the damage. No casualties have been reported and there has not been any immediate disruption to air travel. The 3,676-metre volcano erupted on Sunday.

The eruption, some 640 km east of the capital, Jakarta, follows a series of earthquakes in the west of Java, including one last month that



killed more than 300 people. With 142 volcanoes, Indonesia has the largest population globally living in close range to a volcano. 

Meanwhile, authorities in Chile are on alert for a possible eruption of country's snow-capped Villarrica volcano which has been shaken by earthquakes and is spewing fire. Alvaro Amigo, the head of the National Volcanic Surveillance Network said that the conditions are in place for a volcanic eruption but exact predictions cannot be made. The glacier-clad volcano overlooks the city of Pucon, with a population of around 28,000 people who live just 15 kilometers from the peak. Villarrica's last major eruption was in 1984.