Searches resume in Indonesia after Mount Sinabung eruptions kill 15
February 3, 2014 -- Updated 0946 GMT (1746 HKT)
Mount Sinabung releases ash into
the sky during an eruption as seen from Payung village in North Sumatra,
Indonesia, on Monday, February 3. Sinabung erupted in 2010 and has been
emitting gas since September.
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Volcano erupts in Indonesia
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Rescue workers venture back into the affected area after previous searches were called off
- The eruptions Saturday sent plumes of billowing into the sky
- Hot ash up to 700 degrees raced down the mountain's slope in just a few minutes
The death toll currently
stands at 15 after plumes of ash spewed more than a mile into the sky
Saturday and descended in superheated clouds.
Scalding ash up to 700
degrees in temperature raced down the slope in just two to three
minutes, engulfing Sukameriah, a village close to the volcano's crater.
A funnel of smoke has continued to shoot up from the North Sumatra mountain, turning the sky above the color of murky gray ash.
Recovery teams ventured into the affected area Sunday, but they had to call off their search because conditions became unsafe.
Dozens of them set off
again Monday morning -- a mixture of local rescue workers, military
personnel and police -- after Indonesia's volcanology agency gave them
clearance to proceed.
They will be conducting
search operations within a 3-kilometer radius of the volcano, Taufik
Kartiko, a disaster mitigation agency official, told CNN on Monday.
Indonesia volcano erupts
Photos: Recently active volcanos
All of the dead, and at least three injured people, were found in Sukameriah, authorities said over the weekend.
It was the first time Mount Sinabung's volcanic output had resulted in deaths, the Jakarta Post reported.
Active volcano
Eruptions at Mount
Sinabung are becoming common. After about 400 years of minimal volcanic
activity there, Sinabung erupted in 2010. It has been emitting gas since
September.
The volcanic volatility
has meant an itinerant existence for those who live in this region a 2½
hour flight from Jakarta. Last month, intensifying volcanic activity forced 22,000 people into temporary camps, but more than half were allowed to return home on Friday.
The latest volcanic activity has forced people to evacuate 16 villages, the Jakarta Post reported. At
least 30,000 people have been temporarily housed at 42 evacuation
centers, according to Billy Sumuan, the emergency response director in
Indonesia for the humanitarian group World Vision.
Saturday's victims lived
within a 3-kilometer radius of the volcano. Some were there checking on
their homes or were there just to watch the eruptions, Nugroho said.
Others were students and volunteers in the region to help its
beleaguered people, Sumuan said.
The government had
issued the highest level of alert for the latest eruptions, and Sumuan
noted that no one was supposed to go inside a 5-kilometer zone around
the volcano.
Several government
agencies and nongovernmental humanitarian groups were on the scene
Sunday helping those affected, including World Vision, which Sumuan said
was helping children with their trauma and hygiene. The government and
local churches handed out masks to everyone to mitigate breathing
problems, he said.
Kathy Quiano reported from Jakarta, and
Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Paul Devitt and Mark
Morgenstein contributed to this report.
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