Indonesia’s Semeru Volcano Erupts, People Flee in Terror
- Mount Semeru in Indonesia erupted on Saturday, killing at least one person.
- Health officials say at least 41 people have burn injuries, per Sky News.
- Videos, shared on social media, show terrified people running away from a gigantic ash cloud.
Residents fled in terror as Mount Semeru, the tallest volcano on the Indonesian island of Java, spewed a gigantic plume of ash for the second time in a year.
The eruption, which began on Saturday afternoon, has killed at least one person, per Sky News.
Health officials said that at least 41 people had burn injuries, Sky News reported.
Around 30 buildings were destroyed in the eruption, the media outlet said.
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Thoriqul Hal, a local official, told Reuters that a bridge in the area had also been badly damaged.
A video shared on Twitter appears to show the bridge before and after the eruption.
—AUSTROHÚNGARO (@AUSTROHNGARO2) December 4, 2021
“This has been a very pressing, rapid condition since it erupted,” Hal said.
Videos of Saturday’s eruption show terrified locals trying to run away from a huge, fast-moving ash cloud.
—Martijn Peters, Ph.D. (@MartijnPeters_) December 4, 2021
—Nuice Media (Taylor’s version) (@nuicemedia) December 4, 2021
Other videos, shared on social media, show parts of Java plunged into darkness. BBC News reported that witnesses said a thick rain of volcanic ash from the eruption was blotting out the sun in two districts.
—Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) December 4, 2021
Budi Santosa, chief executive of the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency, told reporters during a Saturday press conference that his team is currently trying to conduct evacuations and is preparing refugee camps for displaced residents.
The 3,676-meter volcano last erupted in January, causing no deaths.
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