As many as 14 people have been killed and dozens injured in Indonesia as villages have been buried by hot ash after Mt Semeru on Java island erupted on Saturday, according to a BBC report.
One volunteer in the nearby district of Lumajang filmed police and military officials working to dig out bodies with their bare hands.
Houses were buried to their rooftops and vehicles wholly submerged.
BPBD Provinsi Jatim dan BPBD Lumajang telah menuju lokasi untuk melakukan assesment dan evakuasi warga di sekitar Gunung Semeru. Silahkan mention jika ada yang dilokasi pic.twitter.com/FfRGJxHb6c
— PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) December 4, 2021
Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, who filmed the struggle to excavate bodies, told Reuters the rescue efforts were "very dire".
At least 11 villages in Lumajang, in East Java, were coated in volcanic ash. At least 56 people have been injured, with many suffering burns after they mistook the hot mud flow for flooding.
A spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said the injured were being treated at various hospitals and medical facilities.
Puluhan rumah di Kampung Renteng, Desa Sumber Wuluh, Kecamatan Candipuro, Lumajang, terendam abu erupsi Gunung Semeru. Ketinggian abu dan pasir vulcanik sekitar 4 meter.
Sumber : Relawan dan BPBD Lumajang pic.twitter.com/5HlF4gj3Of
— PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) December 5, 2021
Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from the area so far, the agency said.
The evacuation has been hampered by choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms during the eruption which turned the debris into mud. An important bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang was also severed during the eruption, BBC reported.
Mt Semeru measures 3,676m above sea level and is among Indonesia's almost 130 active volcanoes. The last time it erupted was in December 2020, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.
