<p>The eruption of Indonesia's Semeru volcano has killed at least 13 people and injured dozens, the disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said on Sunday, as search teams looked for victims in a landscape covered in deep layers of ash.</p>.<p>Semeru, the tallest mountain on Java island, threw up towers of ash and hot clouds on Saturday that blanketed nearby villages in East Java province and sent people fleeing in panic.</p>.<p>The eruption severed a strategic bridge connecting two areas in the nearby district of Lumajang with the city of Malang and wrecked buildings, authorities said.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/special-features/when-the-land-whale-blows-1057357.html" target="_blank">When the Land Whale blows</a></strong></p>.<p>BNPB official Abdul Muhari said in a news release that 13 people had been killed. Ninety-eight were injured, including two pregnant women, and 902 have been evacuated, the statement said.</p>.<p>Most injuries were burns, authorities said.</p>.<p>In the Sumberwuluh area, thick, grey ash coated damaged houses, while volunteers tried to turn away motorists who wanted to go back to their homes near Semeru, a Reuters witness said.</p>.<p>In a barren landscape covered in ash, homes were almost completely submerged, and a truck had only the top of the driver's cab visible. Some villagers fleeing their homes managed to bring livestock with them, but a dead cow was left lying on its side on the ground.</p>.<p>Grey fallen trees lie on roads, the witness said.</p>.<p>Other obstacles include heavy rocks and hot volcanic sediment that is limiting movement, a local disaster mitigation agency official said.</p>.<p>Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, a Lumajang resident and volunteer, told Reuters that rescue efforts are "very dire" because of the severed bridge and volunteers lacking experience.</p>.<p>In a video he recorded, police and military officials tried to excavate bodies with their bare hands.</p>.<p>BNPB will rebuild the wrecked homes, and heavy equipment, including excavators and bulldozers, is being deployed, its chief said.</p>.<p>Thoriqul Haq, a local official in Lumajang, said earlier that sand miners had been trapped around their work sites.</p>.<p>Ten people trapped after Indonesia's Semeru volcano erupted have been evacuated to safety, BNPB said.</p>.<p>Indonesia President Joko Widodo has ordered authorities to find and treat victims, the state secretary said.</p>.<p>Semeru had started emitting hot clouds and lava flows near its rivers recently, and the country's volcanology centre had warned people not to go near it since Wednesday, it said.</p>.<p>Indonesia's transportation ministry said on Sunday the eruption caused no disruption ton flights, though pilots have been alerted to watch out for the ashfall.</p>.<p>Semeru, more than 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) high, is one of Indonesia's nearly 130 active volcanoes. It erupted in January, causing no casualties.</p>.<p>Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.</p>.<p>In 2010, an eruption of the Merapi volcano on Java island killed over 350 people and displaced 400,000.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>The eruption of Indonesia's Semeru volcano has killed at least 13 people and injured dozens, the disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said on Sunday, as search teams looked for victims in a landscape covered in deep layers of ash.</p>.<p>Semeru, the tallest mountain on Java island, threw up towers of ash and hot clouds on Saturday that blanketed nearby villages in East Java province and sent people fleeing in panic.</p>.<p>The eruption severed a strategic bridge connecting two areas in the nearby district of Lumajang with the city of Malang and wrecked buildings, authorities said.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/special-features/when-the-land-whale-blows-1057357.html" target="_blank">When the Land Whale blows</a></strong></p>.<p>BNPB official Abdul Muhari said in a news release that 13 people had been killed. Ninety-eight were injured, including two pregnant women, and 902 have been evacuated, the statement said.</p>.<p>Most injuries were burns, authorities said.</p>.<p>In the Sumberwuluh area, thick, grey ash coated damaged houses, while volunteers tried to turn away motorists who wanted to go back to their homes near Semeru, a Reuters witness said.</p>.<p>In a barren landscape covered in ash, homes were almost completely submerged, and a truck had only the top of the driver's cab visible. Some villagers fleeing their homes managed to bring livestock with them, but a dead cow was left lying on its side on the ground.</p>.<p>Grey fallen trees lie on roads, the witness said.</p>.<p>Other obstacles include heavy rocks and hot volcanic sediment that is limiting movement, a local disaster mitigation agency official said.</p>.<p>Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, a Lumajang resident and volunteer, told Reuters that rescue efforts are "very dire" because of the severed bridge and volunteers lacking experience.</p>.<p>In a video he recorded, police and military officials tried to excavate bodies with their bare hands.</p>.<p>BNPB will rebuild the wrecked homes, and heavy equipment, including excavators and bulldozers, is being deployed, its chief said.</p>.<p>Thoriqul Haq, a local official in Lumajang, said earlier that sand miners had been trapped around their work sites.</p>.<p>Ten people trapped after Indonesia's Semeru volcano erupted have been evacuated to safety, BNPB said.</p>.<p>Indonesia President Joko Widodo has ordered authorities to find and treat victims, the state secretary said.</p>.<p>Semeru had started emitting hot clouds and lava flows near its rivers recently, and the country's volcanology centre had warned people not to go near it since Wednesday, it said.</p>.<p>Indonesia's transportation ministry said on Sunday the eruption caused no disruption ton flights, though pilots have been alerted to watch out for the ashfall.</p>.<p>Semeru, more than 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) high, is one of Indonesia's nearly 130 active volcanoes. It erupted in January, causing no casualties.</p>.<p>Indonesia straddles the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.</p>.<p>In 2010, an eruption of the Merapi volcano on Java island killed over 350 people and displaced 400,000.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>