The eruption this Saturday of volcano ‘Semeru’, in the Indonesian province of Java Oriental, has left at least one deceased and 41 injured with burns of varying degrees, as confirmed by the authorities in their first balance sheet.
Hundreds of people from the surrounding communities had to escape with their clothes before the eruption of the ‘Semeru’, as explained by the deputy chief of the town of Lumajang, Indah Masdar, at a press conference.
Two people are missing and eight employees of a quarry are trapped under the debris released by the eruption. “We hope we can rescue them soon. Their families are crying, anxious to know their fate,” he lamented.
The head of the National Agency for Disaster Management, Suharyanto, has warned that rescues can be extremely difficult due to the collapse of a bridge and the dense mud that is currently flooding the region. “Even SUVs have trouble driving“, he has warned.
The volcano, of 3,700 meters and the highest mountain on the island of Java, already erupted in December of last year, causing a wave of evacuations similar to the one experienced this Saturday.
Indonesia, in the so-called “Ring of Fire“of the Pacific, often experiences high seismic activity and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur regularly.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
