Clouds of hot ash shot high into the sky and a river of lava and gas swept as far as 7 miles down Mount Semeru in the sudden eruption on December 4th, 2021. Many villages and towns were covered in a blanket of volcanic ash and debris. President Joko Widodo visited the survivors in shelters pledging to rebuild infrastructure, including the main bridge connecting Lumajang to other cities, and move around 2,970 houses out of the danger zone. Each family waiting for a new house will be provided 500,000 rupiah ($34.50) per month in compensation.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said more than 100 people were hospitalized and 22 of them have serious injuries. 22 villagers are still missing and nearly 3,000 houses and 38 schools were damaged. The number of dead and missing are expected to rise as the search area is very mountainous and “geographically difficult.”
