Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupts, blanketing villages with ash, prompting evacuations
Jakarta (AP): Indonesia's Mount Semeru, the highest peak on Java island, erupted Wednesday, blanketing several villages with falling ash, prompting evacuations and leading authorities to raise the alert to the highest level.
Mount Semeru in East Java province unleashed searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that travelled up to 7 kilometres down its slopes several times from midday to dusk, while a thick column of hot clouds rose 2 kilometres into the air, Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a statement.
The eruptions that unfolded throughout the day forced authorities to raise the volcano's alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest, the agency said. No casualties have been reported.
More than 300 residents in the three villages most at risk in the district of Lumajang were evacuated to government shelters, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency's spokesperson Abdul Muhari.
He said increased activity of the volcano on Wednesday afternoon prompted authorities to widen the danger zone to 8 kilometres from the crater. People were advised to keep away from an area along the Besuk Kobokan River, which is the path of the lava flow as searing gas flowed down Semeru's slopes.
Videos on social media showed a dense cloud of ash sweeping through a forested valley to a river beneath a bridge. Residents, some with faces smeared with volcanic dust and rain, fled to temporary shelters or left for other safe areas.
Local media reported that authorities are struggling to rescue about 178 people stranded on the 3,676-metre mountain at the Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post. The group includes 137 climbers, 15 porters, 7 guides and 6 tourism officials, according to an official with the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, TNBTS.
“They are currently safe at Ranu Kumbolo monitoring post,” Endrip Wahyutama, a TNBTS spokesperson, said in video statement, adding that the post is located 4.5 kilometres from the crater on the northern slope of the mountain, which is not in the path of the hot cloud flow that was observed moving to south-southeast. Bad weather and rain forced them to spend the night there, he said.
Semeru, also known as Mahameru, has erupted numerous times in the past 200 years. Still, as is the case with many of the 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, tens of thousands of people continue to live on its fertile slopes.
Semeru's last major eruption was in December 2021 when it left 51 people dead and several hundred others burned in villages that were buried in layers of mud. The eruption forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. The government moved about 2,970 houses out of the danger zone.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 280 million people, sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines, and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Incredible scene of the eruption of Mount Semeru in East Java, Indonesia 🇮🇩
— Disaster News (@Top_Disaster) November 19, 2025
Credit: AfarTv pic.twitter.com/facjFGcBaK
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Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol unveil ‘DDLJ’ sculpture at London’s Leicester Square
London (PTI): Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol huddled under an umbrella on a rainy Thursday in London to unveil their bronze likeness from an iconic ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ scene.
The sculpture of the duo joins Leicester Square’s ‘Scenes in the Square’ trail depicting memorable shots from some of the world’s most famous films, with ‘DDLJ’ marking a Bollywood first and the 30th anniversary of the 1995 box-office hit. It is in this popular London square that SRK as Raj and Kajol as Simran first cross paths unknowingly.
“DDLJ was made with a pure heart. We wanted to tell a story about love, how it can bridge barriers and how the world would be a better place if it had a lot of love in it, and I think this is why 'DDLJ' has had a lasting impact for over 30 years now," said Khan.
“Personally, 'DDLJ' is part of my identity, and it is humbling to see film, and Kajol and me, receiving so much love since it was released,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to the Heart of London Business Alliance, behind the cinematic trail at Leicester Square, for celebrating ‘DDLJ’ and “immortalising” its lead stars.
“Seeing ‘DDLJ’ become the first Indian film to be honoured in the iconic Scenes in the Square trail is an emotional moment and has brought back so many memories.
"I feel immense pride knowing the film has been embraced around the world, and I want to share this moment with the entire cast and crew of ‘DDLJ’, my friend and director Aditya Chopra and the Yash Raj Films family. This is a moment I will never forget,” added Khan.
Kajol, joined by her daughter Nysa and son Yug, posed with Khan in front of the statue as she braved the rain in a green saree.
“It’s incredible to see ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ continue to receive so much love, even 30 years later. Watching the statue being unveiled in London felt like reliving a piece of our history - a story that has truly travelled across generations,” said Kajol.
“Seeing it find its rightful place in Leicester Square, a location of such enormous significance to ‘DDLJ’, makes this moment even more special. For the film to be honoured in this way in the UK – the first Indian film to receive such recognition – is something that will forever stay in the hearts and minds of all the ‘DDLJ’ fans across the world,” she said.
Their statue, captured in a dancing pose from the hit song ‘Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna’, joins the likes of Harry Potter, Bridget Jones, Mary Poppins, and Batman in what is dubbed as an ever-growing celebration of movie magic in a square packed with multiplex cinema screens.
“When ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, DDLJ, was released 30 years ago, the film became a defining moment for Indian cinema and changed the face of the industry, capturing the hearts of everyone who saw it all over the globe," said Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films.
“We’re thrilled to be the first Indian film to be represented in ‘Scenes in the Square’. It also marks 30 years of DDLJ, a film that has spread love and joy globally, and shows the cultural impact it has had in UK.
“We are honoured that our superstars and our film are being recognised on the world stage alongside the Hollywood elite, from Gene Kelly to Laurel & Hardy to Harry Potter. This statue will be a great way to express the international appeal of Indian movies and build bridges amongst communities through cinema,” he said.
Since its release in 1995, ‘DDLJ’ has become the longest-running film in Hindi cinema history.
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive at Heart of London Business Alliance, said: “We’re proud to welcome global megastars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol to our Scenes in the Square trail.
"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is a cinematic phenomenon that has shaped generations, and London’s first tribute to Indian cinema honours a story whose magic continues to captivate audiences worldwide.”
It is a particularly special year for the film, with a musical based on the romance playing to packed houses at Manchester’s Opera House earlier this year. Aditya Chopra reprised his role as director of the English language stage production, ‘Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical’, which revolved around the love story of Simran and Roger.
The script was a nod to the original as it followed Simran as a young British Indian woman who finds herself engaged to a family friend in India in an arranged marriage. However, the plot thickens when she falls in love with a British man named Roger.
