At Least 14 Dead as Volcano Erupts in Indonesia

Local people affected by the eruption of Semeru mount volcano are evacuated at Sumberwuluh village in Lumajang regency, East Java province, Indonesia (REUTERS)

SUMBERWULUH, DEC 5 (REUTERS) - The eruption of Indonesia’s Semeru volcano has killed at least 14 people and injured dozens, the disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said on Sunday, as search teams looked for victims in a landscape covered in deep layers of ash.

Semeru, the tallest mountain on Java island, threw up towers of ash and hot clouds on Saturday that blanketed nearby villages in East Java province and sent people fleeing in panic. The eruption severed a strategic bridge connecting two areas in the nearby district of Lumajang with the city of Malang and wrecked buildings, authorities said. A BNPB official said in a news conference late on Sunday that 14 people had been killed. Fifty-six were injured and 1,300 have been evacuated. Most injuries were burns, authorities said.

In the Sumberwuluh area, thick, grey ash coated damaged houses, while volunteers tried to turn away motorists who wanted to go back to their homes near Semeru, a Reuters witness said.