The volcano left at least 11 villages in the Lumajang district covered in volcanic ash.
The death toll from Indonesia’s Semeru volcano eruption rose to 13 people, the disaster management agency said on Sunday, whose first responders were able to rescue 10 people trapped alive.
The sudden eruption of the highest mountain on the island of Java on Saturday took locals by surprise and caused thousands of people to flee, hundreds of them forced to shelter in makeshift shelters.
The volcano left at least 11 villages in the Lumajang district covered in volcanic ash, submerged houses and forced some evacuees to seek shelter in mosques.
“The death toll now is 13 people. Rescuers found more bodies, ”Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the natural disaster management agency (BNPB), told AFP by phone. The previous balance was one death.
In addition, 10 people were rescued in the Lumajang area of East Java province, it added.
In a press release, the BNPB indicated that at least 57 people were injured by the eruption, 41 of them from burns. The agency sent aid to the shelters, including food, tarps, masks and sleeping bags, he added.
The alarm level of the 3,676-meter-high Semeru volcano was in its second highest degree since the last major eruption in December 2020, which also forced the evacuation of thousands of people and made some municipalities disappear.
This Southeast Asian archipelago is located in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a collision zone of tectonic plates with high seismic and volcanic activity.
The country is home to around 130 active volcanoes.
In late 2018, a volcano eruption in the strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra caused an underwater landslide and tsunami that killed more than 400 people. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
