Mount Semeru Volcano Eruption Death Toll Soars to 34

Lumajang: The death toll from the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang Regency, East Java Province has risen to 34, according to a local official.
 
"We found 8 bodies this morning. So we have found a total of 34 bodies. 16 people are reportedly still missing," Head of the Operations Division of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Office I Wayan Suyatna told Metro TV here on Tuesday.
 
According to him, as many as 150 joint personnel have been deployed to search the victims of the volcano eruption.
"The disaster-hit locations are still quite dangerous," he explained.
 
Explosive activity at Mount Semeru escalated on Saturday with an explosion at 14:50 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) producing an ash plume up to 15.2 kilometers.
 
Following the eruption, the Lumajang Regency government declared an Emergency Response Status for 30 days  from December 4 to January 3. (Mentari Puspadini)