In Pics | Stormy weather hampers rescue operation in Indonesia after deadly eruption
Residents forced to flee
Indonesia's Mount Semeru erupted on Saturday, spewing out smoke and ash, forcing residents to flee the.
More than 300 families with children took shelter in badly hit Curah Kerobokan village in Lumajang in East Java after their houses were destroyed by volcanic ash and lava.
Rapid emergency response
President Joko Widodo ordered a rapid emergency response to find victims, said state secretary Pratikno. According to reports by AFP, nearly 10 trapped people were rescued from areas surrounding Lumajang. Both villagers and rescuers worked through the night to find people and dead bodies.
Evacuations temporarily suspended
Reports by Indonesia's Metro TV suggest that the rescue efforts were hampered by hot ash and debris. The evacuations had to be temporarily suspended.
Toppled buildings and fallen trees
Videos by emergency services show a desolate scene in the village of Kampung Renteng, with rescue workers surrounded by toppled buildings and fallen trees.
"There were 10 people carried away by the mud flow," said Salim, a resident of the village.
Locals advised not to travel
Due to the bad air quality, locals were advised not to travel within five kilometres of Semeru's crater as it affect vulnerable groups. As per Indonesia's geological agency, ash spewed by the volcano went till four kilometres, touching the Indian Ocean in the southern part of Java.
)
)
)
)