An Indonesian village was engulfed in a volcanic eruption that killed 34 people

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

The eruption of Java's largest mountain has sparked concerns about the country's catastrophe warning system's effectiveness, as well as the perils of rebuilding on the volcano's lush but dangerous slopes.

The entangled remains of a mother and daughter engulfed in molten ash have come to symbolise what many living in the shadow of the volcano believe went wrong in the aftermath of the fatal Semeru eruption on Indonesia's Java island.

"There was no prior notice.
There would have been no victims if there had been, right?"
Rumini, Minah's cousin, perished clutching her elderly mother as their kitchen roof crashed in, recalled Minah.
They go by one name, as do many Indonesians.

 

Their town of Curah Kobokan, which is nestled at the base of the volcano, was among the hardest impacted when Semeru erupted spectacularly on Saturday, ejecting ash clouds and pyroclastic flows that killed 43 people and left scores missing.

The eruption of Java's largest mountain has sparked concerns about the country's catastrophe warning system's effectiveness, as well as the perils of rebuilding on the volcano's lush but dangerous slopes.

 

Officials claimed some communications were delivered to local administrators, but that they did not result in an evacuation order, owing to the volcano's unpredictable behaviour.

The national disaster mitigation agency usually issues evacuation orders, such as in 2017, when it urged 100,000 people living near Bali's rumbling Mt Agung to leave the danger zone immediately.

 

The national disaster mitigation agency did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters right away.

Curah Kobokan means "pouring basin" in Javanese, referring to the river that runs through the village.
The river, which was once a source of life, will eventually become the community's ruin.

When Semeru erupted, the river poured heavy lava and ash flows straight into Curah Kobokan, which is now a field of grey ash piled as high as the powerlines, with a few triangular roofs protruding out of the newly constructed disaster landscape.

 

Residents claim that the air became scorching hot and pitch dark in a matter of seconds.
People yelled and ran away in terror, some hiding in a prayer house while others huddled in a concrete drain.

None of the eight residents Reuters spoke to said they had received any notice of an approaching eruption.

"People would have evacuated if there had been a notice.
Instead, lava poured down in a matter of minutes, killing a large number of people "Irawati, 41, said her husband was knocked unconscious as they attempted to flee.