On Java Island, the Semeru volcano erupted on Sunday. It killed at least 14 people and injured dozens more according to Indonesia’s disaster agency. Rescuers dug through layers of ash, sometimes with their bare hands, looking for victims.
On Saturday, Semeru, Java’s tallest mountain, erupted in towers of ash and scorching clouds, blanketing adjacent towns in East Java province and sending people running in fear.
The eruption destroyed structures and broke a crucial bridge connecting two settlements in the adjacent district of Lumajang with Malang.
In a news conference late Sunday, a BNPB official said 14 individuals died. Nine of whom had been recognized. 56 people injured. The majority had received burns.
They evacuated around 1,300 people, with nine people still missing, according to the BNPB.
Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi is a Lumajang local who had volunteered to assist. He told Reuters that rescue efforts were “very dire” due to the severed bridge and inexperienced volunteers.
Police and military officers attempted to dig remains with their bare hands in a video he captured.
Rescuers discovered the body of a mother still holding her deceased infant in the village of Curah Kobokan, also in Lumajang, according to the state news agency Antara.
Homes and vehicles were almost totally submerged by thick, grey ash, fallen trees obstructed roads. A cow that locals had been unable to save lay by the wayside, according to a Reuters witness in the Sumberwuluh district.
According to Hosniya, a 31-year-old local resident who was evacuated with her family, the eruption came out of nowhere.
“At first, I thought it was a bomb explosive; suddenly it was all dark like it was going to destroy the earth,” she said.
Hosniya and her family forcefully fled with nothing but their official papers.
Semeru volcano rescue efforts
A meteorological office official said late Sunday that heavy rain is likely for the next three days. It might impede evacuation operations. Local rescuers stated that rock debris and hot volcanic sediment were already impeding mobility.
According to BNPB’s chief, heavy equipment such as excavators and bulldozers would be useful to repair the devastated dwellings.
The organization also stated that they were able to save the ten people trapped in sand mines due to the eruption.
Semeru has been in an eruptive phase since 2014. It has recently begun releasing hot clouds and lava flows. Hence, forcing authorities to issue warnings for people not to approach it beginning on Wednesday.
The Indonesian transportation ministry said on Sunday that the eruption had caused no aircraft disruptions. However, pilots are on alerts and warnings to be aware of ashfall.
Semeru is one of Indonesia’s almost 130 active volcanoes, standing at above 3,600 meters (12,000 ft).
Indonesia lies in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”. It is a seismically active zone where various plates of the earth’s crust collide. Thereby, resulting in a great number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
While many Indonesian volcanoes continue to erupt, eruptions might take years to happen. In 2010, the Merapi volcano on Java island erupted, killing approximately 350 people and also displacing 400,000 people.