The death toll in the eruption of Semeru volcano in Lumajang district, Indonesia’s East Java province, rose to 34 as of Tuesday afternoon, while 16 others are still under search, an official said.
Four evacuation teams are currently carrying out search operations for victims affected by hot clouds in some points and sand mining locations, Head of the Operations and Alert Section of the Regional Search and Rescue Agency in Surabaya, East Java, I Wayan Suyatna, told journalists on Tuesday.
According to Suyatna, evacuation teams found the most number of bodies in two locations, namely Curah Kobokan hamlet in Supiturang village, and Renteng hamlet in Sumberwuluh village.
He explained that most of the victims’ bodies were found buried in volcanic ash and hot clouds, and some others were found in rubbles of houses.
The weather is now quite sunny when evacuating victims of the hot clouds from Semeru’s avalanche, he said, adding that the teams earlier had the problem in the search operations due to weather factors such as strong winds and heavy rains, as well as volcanic activities hot clouds avalanches and volcanic ash.
“We prioritize the safety of the evacuation team in searching for victims. If the weather is bad, the team will look for a safe place first,” he said.
The bodies of the victims were then taken to the Haryoto Regional General Hospital and Bhayangkara Lumajang Hospital.
Data from the Regional Search and Rescue Agency in Surabaya showed that 26 victims suffer serious injuries and 82 people have minor wounds, and they have undergone treatment at community health centers and hospitals.
