T

he Jember Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in East Java said on Monday that the 3,333-meter Mount Raung had discharged molten lava on Sunday evening, confirming the authorities'€™ recent decision to increase the volcano'€™s alert status.

'€œOur field officers have reported the presence of molten lava on top of Mt. Raung'€™s peak and a loud roar,'€ agency head Suhanan was quoted as saying by Antara news .

The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) raised the volcano'€™s alert status from Level 2 to Level 3 on Monday at 9 a.m. due to the increase in volcanic activity.

A volcano'€™s alert status ranges from Level 1 to Level 4.

According to Suhanan, the Jember BPBD has been conducting thorough observations on the volcanic activities of Mt. Raung, which is located at the border between Jember, Bondowoso and Banyuwangi regencies, following the increase of its alert status.

Meanwhile, the agency'€™s disaster mitigation and emergency response head, Mahmud Rizal, said the molten lava discharged by the volcano had so far fallen back into its caldera and would not reach nearby human settlement. Besides molten lava, he added, smoke was seen to have reached as high as up to 400 meters from the volcano'€™s peak.

Mt. Raung earlier erupted in February, but volcanic materials did not flow out of its crater, which has a diameter of around 1 kilometer.