Date uploaded: 2021-12-08 15:37:34

Heavy rains and torrents of hot lava and mud sliding down an erupting volcano on Indonesia's Java island have put search and rescue operations for more than a dozen missing on hold, officials said Wednesday. Mount Semeru blew its top on Saturday, killing at least 34 people with searing ash and gas that blanketed several villages around it. Sixteen are missing. “It is raining everyday. The situation on the slopes of Semeru requires high vigilance, there are signs of volcanic activity,” said Irwan Subekti, commander of the Mount Semeru Disaster Emergency Response Command. Hot lava from the top of the 12,060-foot mountain still flows down. Heavy rains that are believed to have triggered the eruption mixed with volcanic mud and flooded the villages covered by the ashfall. Roads were closed and houses buried in layers of mud up to 3.2 feet high. More than 4,200 people were evacuated following Saturday’s eruption to temporary shelters, and some are still being treated at hospitals in Lumajang district for burns and other injuries. This is a developing story. Tap the link in bio for updates. Photos by @gettyimages and @apnews.