Semeru volcano eruption kills at least 14 Indonesians, with 1,300 evacuated
- Semeru threw up towers of ash and hot clouds on Saturday that blanketed nearby villages in East Java province and sent people fleeing in panic
- A spokesman from the disaster agency said at least 14 villagers died from severe burns and 56 were hospitalised, including 16 in critical condition
The death toll following the eruption of the highest volcano on Indonesia’s most densely populated island of Java has risen to 14, officials said on Sunday as smouldering debris and thick mud hampered search efforts.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered a fast response to find and treat victims of the eruption, the state secretary said.
Mount Semeru in Lumajang district in East Java province spewed thick columns of ash more than 12,000 metres into the sky, and searing gas and lava flowed down its slopes after a sudden eruption on Saturday triggered by heavy rains. Several villages were blanketed with falling ash.
A thunderstorm and days of rain, which eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop the 3,676m Semeru, triggered the eruption, said Eko Budi Lelono, who heads the geological survey centre.
He said flows of searing gas and lava travelled up to 800m to a nearby river at least twice on Saturday. People were advised to stay 5km from the crater’s mouth, the agency said.
“Thick columns of ash have turned several villages to darkness,” said Lumajang district head Thoriqul Haq. Several hundred people were moved to temporary shelters or left for other safe areas, he said, adding that a power blackout hampered the evacuation.
The debris and lava mixed with rainfall formed thick mud that destroyed the main bridge connecting Lumajang and the neighbouring district of Malang, as well as a smaller bridge, Thoriqul said.