Ash cloud from Mt Semeru injures dozens in Indonesia, one person dead

Picture Courtesy: Reuters

Dozens are injured and one person died on Saturday, according to official reports, after a volcano erupted on Indonesia's Java island. As per the video being circulated on social media, residents can be seen fleeing the area as a giant ash cloud from Mt Semeru moves towards them.

According to eyewitnesses, nearby villages are covered in debris, and thick smoke blotting out the Sun, leaving them in pitch darkness. As per official reports, 41 people have been so far injured due to this.

According to Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), 35 people were being treated at local medical facilities. Due to choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms, evacuation efforts have been hampered. A local official told Reuters that road and bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang had been severed.

As per Thoriqul Haq, a local official, "This has been a very pressing, rapid condition since it erupted”. The eruption took place at about 14:30 local time. A warning has been issued to the airlines operating in the area.

According to The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in Darwin, Australia, ‘the ash appeared to have detached from the summit and was drifting south-west over the Indian Ocean.’

Mt Semeru rises 3,676m above sea level and previously erupted last December. There are nearly 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia.