The death toll from the eruption of the volcano Semeru on the Indonesian island of Java has risen to 13, Indonesian media report. Dozens of people were also injured. Most of them suffered burns.
Rescue services have managed to free ten people trapped after the Semeru eruption. They worked in a sand mine near the volcano. A spokesman for the rescue service reported this to Reuters news agency.
Many people in the area have fled and hundreds of people have been taken to shelters as a precaution. The population has been urged to stay at least 5 kilometers away from the crater. A thick layer of mud has formed due to a combination of the ash from the volcano and the heavy rain of recent days. According to the authorities, two bridges and several houses were destroyed as a result.
The nearly 3,700-meter high volcano has erupted several times in the past year. Indonesia is located in the so-called ‘Ring of Fire’, an area where there are many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
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