A volcanic eruption on the island of Java kills at least 34 people – 16 more people are missing. The ashes bury houses and vehicles.
Update from Tuesday, December 7th, 2021, 11.55 a.m.: Three days after the volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island of Java, more corpses were recovered. The number of people recovered after the Semeru eruption had risen to 34, and 16 more people were still missing, the local rescue service announced on Tuesday (December 7th, 2021).
According to the information provided by the national civil protection agency, many of the victims were burned beyond recognition. So far, only about a dozen of the dead could have been identified. At least 68 people were reportedly injured and burned. Many houses were almost completely buried under the ashes in the eruption. Around 2,000 people were housed in mosques and government buildings.
On Tuesday (December 7th, 2021) Indonesian President Joko Widodo traveled to the crisis area to get an idea of the situation. “I came here today to make sure we do everything we can to find the missing,” he said. New houses would have to be built immediately for the homeless.
Fatal volcanic eruption in Indonesia: huge cloud of smoke over Semeru
Update from Sunday, December 5th, 2021, 9.15 a.m.: The eruption of the Semeru volcano on Java cost the lives of at least 13 people. The authorities from Indonesia reported this on the day after the outbreak. Dozens of other people suffered burn injuries, some of them serious. A huge ash cloud formed over Mount Semeru, the highest on the island of Java. People in nearby villages fled the hot ashes in a panic.
Indonesia is full of active volcanoes. Currently, at least 128 of these are considered to be at risk of an outbreak. The Semeru volcano has been particularly active again since December 2020. It is almost 3700 meters high and is located in the middle of the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park.
Semeru volcano on Java erupts – people flee in a panic
First report from Saturday, 04.12.2021, 7:52 p.m .: Jakarta – The volcano on La Palma has not yet gone out, a new volcanic eruption causes a stir and even panic on site. On the Indonesian island of Java, the Semeru volcano spat ash and a large cloud of smoke on Saturday. The surrounding villages were darkened by the cloud, and thousands of residents fled, some in panic. Red lava flowed down the crater.
It is now clear: at least one person was killed by the volcanic eruption, two people are still missing, the authorities say. More than 40 people suffered severe burns from the lava, and eight miners were trapped in a quarry. Videos can be seen how children and adults flee screaming from a cloud of dark smoke.
Semeru volcano on Java erupts: people flee in panic
The deployment of the rescuers will be made more difficult by the collapse of a larger bridge and by thick mud, said the head of the national disaster control. “The mud is so thick that even four-wheel drive vehicles can hardly get through.”
During the volcanic eruption, glowing lava flowed up to 800 meters from the crater rim, announced the national disaster control. A restricted zone has been set up within a five-kilometer radius of the volcano. There are emergency shelters for residents in several places around the volcano.
Volcanic eruption on Java: Semeru spits ash and smoke
At almost 3700 meters, the Semuru volcano is the highest mountain on Java and is located in the east of Indonesia’s most populous island. He has been increasingly active again since December 2020. Since its last eruption about a year ago, the warning level for the volcano has remained unchanged at the second-highest level. Even then, villages were covered with gray ash, thousands of people fled, as the news agency afp reports.
There are around 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The Merapi volcano on Java, the Sinabung on Sumatra and the Lewotolo on Lembata have already erupted in 2021. The island nation in Southeast Asia is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a region in which several tectonic plates collide. This is where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur particularly frequently. (Daniel Dillmann and Tanja Banner with afp / dpa)
Rubriklistenbild: © Imago/Kurniawan/Xinhua
