Indonesia's disaster agency said Monday that the death toll rose to 22 while 27 people remain missing from Saturday's eruption of a volcano on the main island of Java.
About 2,000 people have been evacuated, while at least 3,000 houses were damaged and 169 people injured by the eruption at Mt. Semeru in the eastern part of the island, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Hot ash from the 3,676-meter-high volcano had reached an area as far as 4 kilometers from the crater near its peak, and search and rescue operations were under way for residents who could be buried under the volcanic debris, authorities said.
"Weather, such as rain, has become the main obstacle of our rescuers because it will endanger them," Brig. Gen. Wuryanto, operational director of the National Search and Rescue Agency, told a press conference, referring to cold lava caused by heavy rains.
"Hopefully, the weather will be good in the next few days," he added, saying search will start Tuesday at two villages and a sand mining area, which were among the most-affected areas.
With eruptions ongoing, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has advised residents and others to remain 1-5 km away from the peak, depending on where they are in relation to the volcano.
The center also warned against mudflows caused by rain.
Java is home to numerous volcanoes, of which Semeru is the highest. Semeru has erupted repeatedly in the past.
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