Mt Semeru's Eruption Kills 15, Destroys 2,970 Homes, 38 Schools

TheIndonesia.co - Fifteen people have died so far due to the pyroclastic flow from Mount Semeru on December 4, 2021, the command post for the volcanic eruption reported on Monday.

"Eight people were identified in Pronojiwo Sub-district, while seven others were in the Candipuro Sub-district," acting head of the Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Abdul Muhari, informed in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by Antara news agency, December 6, 2021.

The command post has also reported that 27 residents are still missing
since the eruption, he said. Data checking and validation are being carried out to ensure the status of the victims, he added.

"Until the third day, the command post continues to carry out search and rescue operations for residents who may become the victim of the eruption," Muhari said.

As per data collected by the command post so far, 5,205 people have been affected by the volcanic eruption, 27 people have gone missing, and 15 have died, he noted. The command post is still updating the data on affected residents, he said.

A total of 1,707 residents have been evacuated to 19 shelters, he informed. Nine of the shelters have been set up in Pronojiwo Sub-district at Supiturang 04 Elementary School, Baitul Jadid Mosque in Supiturang Village, Oro Oro Ombo 3 Elementary School, Oro Oro Ombo 2 Elementary School, a mosque in the surrounding neighborhood, Renteng Village, Oro Oro Ombo village hall, Sumberurip village hall, Sumberurip 2 Elementary School, as well as several houses around Renteng Village and Sumberbulus Village, he said.

Meanwhile, refugee shelters have been set up in Candiro Sub-district at six evacuation points, including Sumberwuluh village hall, Penanggal village hall, Sumbermujur village hall, Sumberwuluh Village, Kajarkuning Village, and Candipuro sub-district office, he added.

Refugee shelters in Pasirian Sub-district have been set up at four points, namely Condro village hall, Pasirian village hall, Baiturahman Pasirian Mosque, and Nurul Huda Alon Pasirian Mosque, Muhari said.
Pyroclastic flow from the volcano has also damaged residential and infrastructure sectors in several sub-districts in Lumajang district, he noted.

Temporary data shows that 2,970 homes, 38 schools, and one bridge in Curah Kobokan Village that connects Lumajang and Malang have been destroyed in the eruption, he added.