DEATH TOLL FROM INDONESIAN VOLCANO HAS RISE TO 13

Sun 05 December 2021:

The death toll from Mount Semeru’s unexpected, massive eruption in Indonesia has increased to 13, disaster officials said Sunday, as rescuers looked for survivors in towns coated in molten ash.

On Saturday, the eruption of Java’s largest mountain took people off guard, causing thousands to evacuate its path of destruction and pushing hundreds of families into improvised shelters.

It covered at least 11 villages in the Lumajang area in volcanic ash, sinking buildings, suffocating cattle, and stranding at least 900 evacuees in mosques, schools, and village halls.

Ini kondisi terkini di Desa Sumber Wuluh, Candipuro, Lumajang. Guguran vulkanik menutup rumah, menimbun truk dan alat berat. Sangat tebal. Diperkirakan masih banyak korban yg tertimbun.

Bulan Sabit Merah Indonesia (BMSI)#NKRITidakButuhJokowi pic.twitter.com/k3bRDa12tm

— dz4 (@dz4___) December 5, 2021

Semeru was seen blasting an ash mushroom into the sky, hovering over frightened residents of a nearby community attempting to flee.

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

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.

According to the BNPB, at least 57 people were wounded in the eruption, with 41 of them suffering burns and being hospitalized.

Lava burned at least one bridge in Lumajang, preventing rescuers from quickly reaching those trapped in shelters.

On Saturday, the eruption of Java’s largest mountain, Mount Semeru’s took people off guard, causing thousands to evacuate its path of destruction and pushing hundreds of families into improvised shelters.

Photo Credit: IG: Merapi_Uncover#Semeru #indonesiavolcano #volcano pic.twitter.com/Tfk7JRMgOw

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) December 5, 2021

On Saturday, the eruption of Java’s largest mountain, Mount Semeru’s took people off guard, causing thousands to evacuate its path of destruction and pushing hundreds of families into improvised shelters.

Photo Credit: IG: Merapi_Uncover#Semeru #Indonesia #volcano pic.twitter.com/Ru05RSaGOx

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) December 5, 2021

On Sunday, though, emergency service footage from one village showed a terrible image, with roofs of houses emerging from the muck that had devastated them.

Locals have been instructed not to travel within five kilometers of Semeru’s crater, and the air around it is very contaminated, potentially affecting vulnerable groups.

Food, tarpaulins, face masks, and body bags have been delivered to shelters by officials.

According to satellite imagery, the ash has dissipated near Semeru, according to Australia’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, which gives advise to the aviation industry.

Since its previous large eruption in December 2020, which also drove hundreds to flee and blanketed villages, Semeru’s alert status has remained at its second-highest level.

Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates collide, resulting in intense volcanic and seismic activity.

There are about 130 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian archipelago nation.

In late 2018, a volcano in the strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra erupted, resulting in an undersea landslide and tsunami that killed over 400 people.

(with agency)

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