Sombroulu, Dec. 6 (BNA): Heavy rain and wind temporarily halted rescue efforts on Monday after Indonesia’s Semeru volcano erupted and killed 14 people over the weekend, and officials urged residents to be vigilant as the danger is far from over.
Java’s tallest mountain erupted dramatically on Saturday, sending a towering plume of ash into the sky that blanketed the surrounding villages. More than 50 people were injured in the blast, most of them burns.
Aerial footage showed surfaces protruding from the gray earth, while on the ground, army and police officers and residents dug into the mud with their hands to extract the victims, according to Reuters.
On Monday, Lisuanto, head of the Semeru Volcano Observatory, warned people to keep a safe distance from the mountain, amid reports of anxious residents returning to their homes to check on their belongings and livestock.
“The situation of Mount Semeru is still at level 2, which means that at this level, people need to be more vigilant because the potential threat is still there,” he said.
Lava flows destroyed a strategic bridge linking two districts in the nearby Lumajang district with the city of Malang.
A Reuters witness said that in Sombroulu district, where two semi-trucks were buried by volcanic ash, rescue efforts were suddenly halted due to high winds.
Dewa Arya, of the search and rescue agency, said on Monday his team was working to recover a family of five victims, but their efforts were temporarily hampered by bad weather.
People have posted pictures of their missing relatives on Facebook, with public pleas for any information about their whereabouts.
Public kitchens and sanitary facilities have been established for more than 1,000 displaced people.
CNN Indonesia reports that a trauma treatment team has been dispatched to work with children affected by the eruption, while hundreds of aid packages, including rice, blankets, clothes and other basic necessities, have been sent to the area.
Semeru is one of more than 100 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a country on both sides of the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity that sits atop many tectonic plates.
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