Culminating point of Java Island, the sowing entered on Saturday eruption, causing burning mud flows. More than 3,500 inhabitants had to be evacuated.
Le Monde with AFP
The eruption of the Semeru volcano caused the death of at least 34 people, announced, Tuesday, December 7, the Indonesian disaster management agency, pushing Joko Widodo, the president of this archipelago of South Asia -It, to go there. The seeder, the highest peak of Java Island, woke up on Saturday, projecting ash clouds that have turned into the rain in burning mud waves, devastating a dozen surrounding villages and driving the population. Abdul Muhari, the spokesman of the Agency, said that seventeen people were missing, according to the France-Press agency (AFP).
The rash has also made dozens of wounded, most suffering from burns. Whole streets have been buried by gray and mud ash clusters, covering trucks or houses to the roof.
The village of Curah Kobokan, the closest to Crater, was devastated by the burning ashes that were fatal to many inhabitants. “I am traumatized, I asked my loved ones if they had the courage to return to Curah Kobokan and they said no, that they preferred to sleep under a tree,” said Marzuki Suganda, a thirty-who worked to a sandy mine in the area. “When the eruption occurred, I really thought we were going to die there.”
“Move the housings”
The rescuers work in difficult conditions to search for survivors and bodies. They used dogs to help them. Their efforts are slowed down by the threat of the volcano, soil instability and rain that can charier debris.
The volcano shows an intermittent activity, with several eruptions each day of less magnitude since the weekend. More than 3,500 inhabitants had to be evacuated. Thousands of houses and buildings have been damaged, including 24 schools, according to the provisional data of the Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center for Disaster Management (AHA) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The authorities have asked the inhabitants not to approach less than five kilometers from the crater, the saturated air of ash dust in the area being dangerous for vulnerable people.
Indonesian President promised that the government would help relocate those who can not go home because of the risk of eruption. “I hope that when things have calmed down, we will be able to repair infrastructure and think about the possibility of moving the housing of areas that it considers dangerous,” he said, estimating that approximately 2,000 houses are concerned.
The seeder, which culminates at 3,676 meters, has experienced many eruptions in recent decades, but rarely as destructive. Indonesia is located on the “Firebelt” of the Pacific, where the encounter of the continental plates causes a high seismic activity. The Southeast Asian archipelago has nearly 130 active volcanoes.