SUMBERWULUH: Ten people trapped after Indonesia’s Semeru volcano erupted have been evacuated to safety, the disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said on Sunday, as the death toll from the disaster climbed to at least 13 with dozens injured.
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.
BNPB official Abdul Muhari said in a news release that 13 people were killed after the eruption, two of whom have been identified. Ninety-eight were injured, including two pregnant women, and 902 have been evacuated, the statement said.
Most injuries were burns, authorities said.