a dozen villages covered with ashes

Houses, farms, palm trees engulfed in a thick layer of ashes. Residents who roam their village which has become a ghost. Waking up on Saturday, December 4, when the region was hit by heavy rains, the Semeru volcano took residents of eastern Java island by surprise. The still hot mud is still smoking, which makes rescue operations particularly difficult.

At least 14 dead and dozens injured. Often villagers who have underestimated the risks. “We didn’t know it was hot mud. We saw the sky suddenly darken, with rain and smoke.”, describes an inhabitant. The victims were swept away in the hot mudslides. Hundreds of residents left their homes in an emergency, 1300 people were evacuated. At the foot of the volcano, the air is saturated with dust which can be toxic. It was one of the tourist attractions of this part of the island of Java.