<p>
As many as 14 people have been killed and dozens injured in Indonesia as villages have been buried by hot ash after Mt Semeru on Java island erupted on Saturday, according to a BBC report.</p>
<p>
One volunteer in the nearby district of Lumajang filmed police and military officials working to dig out bodies with their bare hands.</p>
<p>
Houses were buried to their rooftops and vehicles wholly submerged.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="in">
BPBD Provinsi Jatim dan BPBD Lumajang telah menuju lokasi untuk melakukan assesment dan evakuasi warga di sekitar Gunung Semeru. Silahkan mention jika ada yang dilokasi <a href="https://t.co/FfRGJxHb6c">pic.twitter.com/FfRGJxHb6c</a></p>
&mdash; PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) <a href="https://twitter.com/PRB_BNPB/status/1467068779020443653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>
Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, who filmed the struggle to excavate bodies, told Reuters the rescue efforts were &quot;very dire&quot;.</p>
<p>
At least 11 villages in Lumajang, in East Java, were coated in volcanic ash. At least 56 people have been injured, with many suffering burns after they mistook the hot mud flow for flooding.</p>
<p>
A spokesperson for Indonesia&#39;s disaster mitigation agency said the injured were being treated at various hospitals and medical facilities.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="in">
Puluhan rumah di Kampung Renteng, Desa Sumber Wuluh, Kecamatan Candipuro, Lumajang, terendam abu erupsi Gunung Semeru. Ketinggian abu dan pasir vulcanik sekitar 4 meter.<br />
<br />
Sumber : Relawan dan BPBD Lumajang <a href="https://t.co/5HlF4gj3Of">pic.twitter.com/5HlF4gj3Of</a></p>
&mdash; PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) <a href="https://twitter.com/PRB_BNPB/status/1467339403521511426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>
Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from the area so far, the agency said.</p>
<p>
The evacuation has been hampered by choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms during the eruption which turned the debris into mud. An important bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang was also severed during the eruption, BBC reported.</p>
<p>
Mt Semeru measures 3,676m above sea level and is among Indonesia&#39;s almost 130 active volcanoes. The last time it erupted was in December 2020, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter.</p>
<p>
Indonesia sits on the Pacific &quot;Ring of Fire&quot; where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.</p>
<p>
Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.</p>
A Chinese delegation walked out of a Holocaust memorial event in the Israeli city of…
A total of 28 cases of enforced disappearances were reported across Balochistan and other regions…
Efforts are underway to negotiate the presence of US forces in Niger, amidst broader discussions…
In a special evacuation operation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday airlifted an American…
The Awami Action Committee in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) has vowed to continue protests amid…
In a pivotal report submitted to Congress, the Biden administration conveyed its evaluation of Israel's…