Indonesia’s volcano toll is rising as the search for the missing progresses Volcanic News

Officials say at least 13 people have been killed and 98 injured in a sudden eruption of Mount Semeru.

After the death toll eruption Indonesia’s Semeru volcano has risen to 13, authorities said, as rescuers working at night rescued 10 people from the rubble.

In a statement on Sunday, a spokesman for the Indonesian Disaster Relief Agency (BNPB) said the eruption had identified two of the 13 people killed.

Spokesman Abdul Muhari said at least 98 people had been injured, including two pregnant women, and 902 people had been evacuated from villages near Semeru in East Java province.

Rescuers were still searching for a river in the village of Curah Kobokan, with seven residents and sand miners reported missing.

The most populous volcano on the Indonesian island of Java exploded on Saturday, throwing ash columns more than 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) into the sky and spewing horrible gases and lava down its slopes.

It was covered in ash from several villages in the Lumajang district of East Java province.

The sudden eruption was caused by thunder and heavy rains today, according to Eko Budi Lelono, head of the geological prospecting center.

He said the lava was eroded and eventually the 3,676-meter (12,060-foot) lava dome on the Semeru fell.

Gas and lava flows traveled up to 800 meters (2,624 feet) to a nearby river at least twice on Saturday, he said.

The BNPB has advised people to stay within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of the mouth of the crater.

Thoriqul Haq Lumajang district official said that “thick columns of ash have turned several dark villages” and that a slow electricity in the area is hampering evacuation efforts.

Haq said heavy debris mixed with rain and lava formed thick mud and destroyed the main bridge that connects Lumajang and the neighboring Malang district, as well as the smaller bridge.

The BNPB said it had sent aid to shelters, including food, canvas, face masks and body bags.

People are riding motorcycles on an ash-covered road after an eruption of the Semeru volcano in Sumberwuluh village, East Java province, Indonesia, on December 4, 2021. [Antara Foto/Hermawan/via Reuters]

Semeru’s alert status has remained at the second highest level since the biggest eruption in December 2020, which it also had. he forced thousands to flee and he left the villages covered with ashes.

There were no casualties at the time.

On Sunday, some residents who fled to a government shelter near the Lumajang district headquarters said authorities had not disclosed any information to them about the volcanic activity.

“Suddenly everything got dark, the bright evening turned into night. The roaring noise and the heat forced us to run to the mosque, ”said Fatmah, a neighbor who escaped to the Curah Kobokan shelter, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the crater. “It was a much stronger eruption than in January.”

Indonesia, an archipelago with a population of more than 270 million people, is experiencing earthquakes and volcanic activity in the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire” because of a series of horseshoe-shaped fault lines.