Lumajang, Jawa Timur, Aug. 11 -- Mount Semeru erupted eight times on Tuesday morning, sending an ash column up to 700 meters above the summit as authorities maintained an Alert Level III status.

The first eruption occurred at 4:39 a.m. local time, producing a white-to-gray, dense ash column that drifted southeast, according to the Mount Semeru Observation Post.

"The eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 19 mm and a duration of 132 seconds," officer Dany Erlangga Yosa Putra said.

The volcano, Java's highest, erupted again at 4:56 a.m., 5:16 a.m., 5:54 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 6:56 a.m., 7:37 a.m. and 8:23 a.m.

The 8:23 a.m. eruption sent ash about 700 meters above the summit, reaching an altitude of 4,376 meters ab...