The death toll from the Indonesian volcano eruption has risen to 34 people

After the eruption of Java's Mount Semeru, search and rescue operations are still underway to locate 16 persons who have gone missing.

Local officials say the death toll from Saturday's eruption of Indonesia's tallest volcano has grown to at least 34, and rescue operations are still underway.

Mount Semeru, in East Java's Lumajang region, erupted suddenly, spewing thick columns of ash more than 12,000 metres (40,000 feet) into the sky, as well as scorching gas and lava down its slopes.

In other places, the calamity buried entire streets in muck and ash, devouring homes and automobiles.

"So far, 34 people have died, and 16 are still missing," Wayan Suyatna, the chief of the local search and rescue organisation, said state media on Tuesday, upping the death toll from 14 earlier.
Nearly 3,700 people have been evacuated from the impacted region, according to him.

Since the eruption, rescuers have been facing difficult conditions in the volcanic rubble, ruined buildings, and destroyed vehicles, looking for survivors and remains.
On Tuesday, search and rescue dogs were dispatched to assist the effort.

Since Saturday, Mount Semeru has been active, with tiny eruptions keeping emergency workers and civilians on edge.
Authorities said three tiny eruptions occurred on Tuesday, each blasting ash approximately a kilometre (3,300 feet) into the sky.

Locals have been cautioned not to travel within 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) of Semeru's crater since the air is severely contaminated and could harm vulnerable groups.

Because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped sequence of fault lines, Indonesia, an island of more than 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.