The death toll from the eruption of the Mount Semeru volcano on the island of Java has risen to at least 22, Indonesia’s national disaster agency announced on Tuesday.

One official told the AFP news agency that the death toll was now 34.

Mount Semeru is the highest mountain on the island of Java, which is the world’s most populous island and contains the Indonesian capital Jakarta. It last erupted in January, leaving no casualties.

How much damage did the eruption cause?

Mount Semeru ejected a mushroom of hot ash into the sky on Saturday and rained hot mud as thousands of residents fled the area. The disaster left entire streets filled with mud and ash and destroyed countless homes and vehicles.

Lava and searing gas swept as far as 11 kilometers down Mount Semeru’s slopes.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said 56 people were hospitalized after the eruption, mostly with burns. He said rescuers were still searching for 27 villagers reported missing, and that 3,000 houses and 38 schools were damaged.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited areas devastated by the eruption on Tuesday, vowing that communities would be quickly rebuilt. The areas in question are in the Lumajang district of the country’s East Java province.

Widodo pledged to rebuild infrastructure as he spoke to survivors gathered on a soccer field. He said a bridge connecting Lumajang to other cities would be rebuilt and more than 2,000 houses would be moved out of danger zones.

Officials earlier said residents of the hardest-hit villages will be relocated within the next six months, and each family will be given 500,000 rupiahs ($34.70, €30.75).

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/indonesia-volcano-eruption-death-toll-rises/a-60039381

The post Indonesia volcano eruption death toll rises first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The US Geological Survey said Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 quake was centered 151 kilometers from Banten province off Java’s southwest coast.

Agus Wibowo, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s spokesman, said four people died while fleeing in panic to safety in Banten and West Java. Four others were injured.

Indonesian soldiers remove debris from a house damaged by a strong earthquake.

Wibowo said 223 houses were damaged, mostly in Banten’s Pandeglang region, where a deadly tsunami struck in the dark without warning last December.

Hundreds of people who had fled to temporary shelters returned home, Wibowo said.

The quake was felt in Jakarta, the capital, where buildings swayed for nearly a minute. Television footage showed workers and residents running out of high-rise buildings in the city.

Indonesia, home to more than 260 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

AP

Source: https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/deadly-earthquake-hits-off-indonesia-s-java-island-20190803-p52dmf.html

The post Deadly earthquake hits off Indonesia’s Java island first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.