Semeru Eruption Kills 13 Rescuers Are Still Searching Villages Blanketed In Ash For Survivors

Semeru eruption kills 13 and injures 57 as rescuers are still searching villages blanketed in molten ash for survivors

Strange Sounds

The death toll from a sudden, spectacular eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru has risen to 13, disaster officials said Sunday, as rescuers searched villages blanketed in molten ash for survivors.

The eruption of Java’s biggest mountain caught locals by surprise on Saturday, sending thousands fleeing its path of destruction and forcing hundreds of families into makeshift shelters.

It left at least 11 villages of Lumajang district coated in volcanic ash, submerging houses, smothering livestock and leaving at least 900 evacuees seeking cover in mosques, schools and village halls.

Dramatic footage showed Semeru pumping a mushroom of ash into the sky, looming over screaming residents of a nearby village trying to escape.

At least 13 dead and 57 injured

“The death toll is now 13 people. Rescuers found more bodies,” said national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari.

As many as 10 trapped people were rescued from the surrounding areas in Lumajang, East Java province, Muhari said. Local broadcaster Kompas TV reported those rescued were local workers at a sand mining site.

At least 57 people were injured in the eruption, of whom 41 suffered burns and were hospitalised, the BNPB said in a press release.

Post-apocalyptic scenery

Lava destroyed at least one bridge in Lumajang and prevented rescuers from immediately accessing the area and those trapped in shelters.

But emergency service footage from one village on Sunday showed a desolate scene, with roofs of houses protruding from the coat of mud that had destroyed them.

The rescue teams were using heavy loaders to remove debris, Muhari said.

Officials have sent aid to shelters, including food, tarpaulins, face masks, and body bags.