JAKARTA — Indonesian authorities raised the alert level to the highest after the Semeru volcano on Java Island erupted Sunday.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazar Mitigation (PVMBG) raised its alert level of volcano to the highest and the residents of the two nearest villages have been evacuated from the region.

“We've also told all people living around the volcano to not do any activities around Besuk Kobokan riverside as the river has a potential to flow hot clouds and lava," the country’s National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a written statement.

A total of 51 people were killed after the Semeru volcano erupted on Dec. 4, 2021.

Mt. Semeru, which stands 3,676 meters (over 12,000 feet) above sea level, previously erupted in December 2020 and January this year.

Indonesia, an archipelago home to nearly 275 million people, sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area with several fault lines that make it prone to frequent volcanic activities and earthquakes.

On Saturday, a strong tremor rocked Indonesia’s Java Island, sparking panic in a region where more than 320 people were killed in an earthquake last month. — Agencies