Watch: Indonesia's Semeru volcano spews giant ash clouds as it erupts

The highest mountain on Indonesia's Java Island, a volcano called Mount Semeru, has erupted, spewing gigantic columns of ash clouds as tall as 2km (1.2 miles) above its peak.

Large plumes of smoke can be seen engulfing a bridge and spreading across the surrounding countryside, stopping locals in their tracks.

CCTV footage showed a pyroclastic flow – a fast-moving avalanche of hot gas, ash and volcanic rock – billowing from the mountain, with a distance of 7km from the summit.