The Indonesian villagers are standing near Mount Semeru. The alert level for the highest volcano on Java island was raised by Indonesian authorities after a sudden eruption that killed dozens of people and left thousands homeless.
Hendra Permana is a person.
Indonesian authorities raised the alert level for the highest volcano on Java island after a sudden eruption earlier this month left 48 people dead and 36 missing in villages that were buried in layers of mud.
The geological agency said it picked up increasing activity that could cause an eruption similar to the one that happened in December.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Minister said that the sand from the volcano's crater was blocking the river.
Tasrif said that if there is another eruption, it would block the flow path and cause new lava flows to spread to the surrounding area. The alert level was raised to the second highest.
The head of Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, Andiani, advised villagers living on the fertile slopes to stay away from the crater's mouth. Tourism and mining activities were stopped by her.
36 people are still missing after the search and rescue operations ended on Friday. More than 100 people were injured and 22 of them had serious burns. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said that more than 5,200 houses and buildings were damaged.
The main bridge connecting the worst-hit town of Lumajang to other cities will be rebuilt and 2,970 houses will be moved out of the danger zone.
In the last 200 years, Mahameru has erupted many times. Tens of thousands of people live on the fertile slopes of the volcano. It erupted in January with no casualties.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines.
