Indonesia: Cold lava sweeps villages near volcano, killing 37
Flash floods and cold lava flows from Mount Marapi—the most active volcano on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, Indonesia—have claimed at least 37 lives. The catastrophe occurred after hours of heavy rainfall on Saturday triggered torrents of ash and rocks from the volcano. The resulting cold lava mudslides caused extensive damage, destroying over 100 homes, mosques, and public facilities in two districts.
Survivor recounts terrifying escape from cold lava
Rina Devina, a 43-year-old housewife from the Agam district, shared her experience of escaping the cold lava flow. Devina described hearing "the thunder and the sound similar to boiling water," which she identified as "the sound of big rocks falling from Mount Marapi." In pitch-black conditions, she navigated through muddy roads using her cellphone as a torch, chanting prayers as she fled. The disaster's death toll may rise further with 18 people still reported missing.
Rescue efforts underway amidst rising death toll
By Sunday afternoon, rescue teams had recovered 19 bodies from Canduang in the Agam district, the area hardest hit by the disaster. Nine other bodies were found in the neighboring district of Tanah Datar, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency. Berliana Reskyka, another resident of Agam district, described assisting injured neighbors amidst chaos and shared that some were "crying, hysterical" as their family members remained unaccounted for.
Environmental experts attribute disasters to human activities
Environmental experts, including Wengki Purwanto, the director of the West Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Forum for Environment, attribute these recurring disasters to human activities. They point out that "flash floods and cold lava mudslides continue to recur and increase in intensity due to excessive exploitation of natural resources and haphazard development." Mount Marapi, known as "Mountain of Fire" in the local Minang language, has been a source of several similar disasters over the past six months.
