Rescuers were searching the smoking debris and thick mud for survivors a day after the highest volcano on the island of Java erupted in fury, killing at least 14 people with scorching gas and ash.
Mount Semeru in the Lumajang district of East Java province spewed thick plumes of ash more than 12,000 meters (40,000 feet) into the sky in a sudden eruption triggered by heavy rains on Saturday. Nearby villages and towns were covered and several villages buried under tons of mud from the volcanic debris.
Authorities warned the thousands of people who fled the volcano’s wrath not to return during Sunday’s truce. But some were desperate to control the livestock and possessions they had left behind. In various areas, everything from the thinnest branch of a tree to sofas and chairs inside houses was covered in ash.
“There is no life there … trees, farms, burned houses, everything is covered in thick gray ash,” said Haryadi Purnomo of the East Java search and rescue agency. He said that several other areas were practically intact.
Search and rescue efforts were temporarily suspended Sunday afternoon due to fears that hot ash and debris could fall from the crater due to heavy rains. On Saturday, a torrent of mud destroyed the main bridge connecting Lumajang and the neighboring Malang district, as well as a smaller bridge.
The eruption relieved the pressure that had been building under a lava dome perched in the crater. But experts warned that the dome could collapse further, causing an avalanche of gas and debris trapped beneath it.
A storm and days of rain, which eroded and partially collapsed the dome over the 3,676-meter (12,060-foot) Semeru, triggered the eruption, said Eko Budi Lelono, who heads the center for geological studies.
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Semeru, the cone-shaped stratovolcano, is also known as Mahameru, which means “The Great Mountain” in Sanskrit. It has erupted many times over the past 200 years. Still, as with other volcanoes, it is one of 129 under surveillance in Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago, with more than 62,000 people calling the fertile slopes of Sumeru home. It last erupted in January, with no casualties.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a series of horseshoe-shaped faults. Currently, 54% of the country’s population lives in Java, the most densely populated area in the country.
Authorities previously said they hoped they could avoid casualties by closely monitoring the volcano.
Indonesian rescuers dig through volcanic ash after 14 died. #Volcano #MountSemeru #Indonesia
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said 56 people had been hospitalized, most with burns. He said rescuers were still searching for nine residents of Curah Kobokan village.
More than 1,300 villagers entered makeshift emergency shelters after Saturday’s powerful eruption, but many others defied official warnings and chose to stay in their homes, saying they had to tend their livestock and protect their property, Purnomo said.
“We will do everything possible to evacuate them by preparing trucks and motorcycles so that they can flee at any time,” he said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he instructed his cabinet ministers and military and disaster officials to coordinate the response. The government promised to relocate residents of the worst affected villages to safer locations in the next six months and to provide 500,000 rupees ($ 34.50) per month in compensation for each family while they wait for new homes.
Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com