Heavy rain and winds halted rescue efforts on Monday after Indonesia’s Semeru volcano erupted and killed 14 people over the weekend, and officials urged residents to stay vigilant as the danger is not over yet.
The tallest mountain on the island of Java erupted violently on Saturday, sending a towering column of ash into the sky that blanketed surrounding villages. More than 50 people were injured by the eruption, most of them burns.
Aerial footage shows rooftops jutting out of the desolation, while on the ground, military officers, police and residents use their hands to dig through mud to free victims.
On Monday, Liswanto, head of the Semeru Volcano Observatory, warned people to keep a safe distance from the mountain, as worried residents returned to their homes to check on belongings and livestock. .
“Mount Semeru’s status remains at level 2, which means that at this level, people need to be extra vigilant as the potential threat is still there,” he said.
The lava flow destroyed a strategic bridge connecting two areas in the nearby Lumajang district with the city of Malang.
In the Sumberwuluh area, where two trucks were half-buried by volcanic ash, recovery efforts were abruptly halted by strong winds, a Reuters witness said.
Dewa Arya, from the search and rescue agency, said on Monday his team was working to find a family of five victims, but their efforts were temporarily hampered by bad weather.
People post photos of their missing loved ones on Facebook, with pleas to make public any information about their whereabouts.
Public kitchens and medical facilities have been set up for more than 1,000 displaced people.
CNN Indonesia reports that a trauma team to work with children affected by the eruption has been dispatched, while hundreds of aid packages, including rice, blankets, clothing and other necessities another has been sent to the area.
Semeru is one of more than 100 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a country located in the middle of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region that sits atop multiple tectonic plates.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
