Image from Twitter
On Saturday December 4th, the tallest mountain on Indonesia’s most populated island, Javo erupted during a thunderstorm, forcing over 1,700 residents to evacuate their homes and seek shelter.
Towns and villages nearby lay covered in ash and debris. Thousands of homes and educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed. Rescuers scramble to find missing villagers in areas that are covered in volcanic ash. Mount Seneru erupted again on Monday morning, suspending the search for survivors and forcing rescuers to retreat. The death toll has risen to 22, with at least 27 villagers still missing.
“Our houses were destroyed; my children are still very young and my husband is away. We need help”
Ngatemi a villager in East Javo; BBC NEws
Indonesia is located on what is known as “The Ring of Fire”, which is a series of fault lines that make the country prone to volcanic activity. The Ring of Fire surrounds much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The majority of Earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes take place along this area. The last eruption was the Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala in April 2021. It had a series of eruptions that caused many wildfires and destroyed land. This volcano is the most active in the Ring of Fire; however, the eruption in Indonesia was much more vicious.
The search continues to find any surviving villagers.
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