Indonesia’s Mt. Semeru eruption buries homes, damages bridge

By AGOES BASOEKI
Associated Press

SUMBERWULUH, Indonesia (AP) — Improved weather conditions have allowed rescuers to resume their search for possible victims after the highest volcano on Indonesia’s most densely populated island erupted, triggered by monsoon rains. Mount Semeru in Lumajang district in East Java province spewed thick columns of ash nearly 5,000 feet into the sky Sunday. Villages and nearby towns were blanketed with falling ash, blocking out the sun, but no casualties have been reported. Hundreds of rescuers were deployed Monday in the worst-hit villages, where houses and mosques were buried to their rooftops by tons of volcanic debris. Searing gas raced down the sides of the mountain, smothering entire villages and destroying a bridge that had just been rebuilt after a powerful eruption last year.