In Indonesia, the Mount Semeru volcano erupts, killing 13 people and forcing hundreds to leave.

On Saturday, Indonesia’s Mount Semeru volcano erupted, killing 13 people, injuring others, and causing hundreds to escape.

Abdul Muhari, a disaster mitigation agency spokesman, said two of the 13 people killed in the eruption had been identified. At least 98 people were hurt, including two pregnant women, and 902 people were relocated to a safer location, according to the official.

After their homes were damaged by volcanic ash and lava, more than 300 families with children sought refuge in the critically affected Curah Kerobokan hamlet in Lumajang, East Java.

Authorities said residents in other surrounding villages fled in fear when chilly lava and volcanic ash reached their neighbourhoods.

After a one-hour search, rescuers in Curah Kerobokan discovered a corpse.

Indah Masdar, the deputy regent of Lumajang, reported that 41 persons were seriously burned after being assaulted by boiling lava.

“We took the injured to medical centres, and those with severe burns were sent to hospitals,” Ms Masdar added.
According to her, two of the injured being treated at health centres were pregnant women.

Rescuers struggled to find the two missing residents and transfer eight individuals trapped in a mud-covered structure due to thick debris and knee-high chilly lava flows.

Access to Lumajang was also halted when a bridge was destroyed by a cool lava flow, according to the deputy regent.

The national disaster mitigation organisation said it deployed a team to assist people in shelters, but they were unable to get there due to heavy volcanic ash material.

Satellite photographs show volcanic ash entering the Indian Ocean in the southern half of Java island, according to the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

Mount Semeru, Java’s tallest mountain at 3,676 metres, erupted around 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. GMT) on Saturday, sending inhabitants fleeing for safety, according to a video posted by the agency.