An Indonesian volcano was active again on Monday following an eruption that has killed at least 22 people and left dozens missing.
The volcano has now erupted again, Indonesia‘s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation confirmed, warning of further seismic activity.
Liswanto, the head of the Semeru Volcano Observatory, said: “Semeru is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. Before and after the December 4 eruption, it will continue to be active.”
Some residents returned to their homes to check on belongings and livestock, but Liswanto, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, urged people to keep a safe distance.
"People need to be more vigilant because the potential threat is still there," he added.
In the Sumberwuluh area, rescue teams battled poor weather to retrieve victims from the rubble.
"The main obstacle is the weather... Hopefully the weather going forward will be good enough to make it easier for us to search," Wuryanto, operations director of the national search and rescue agency (Basarnas), told reporters.
People have posted photos of missing loved ones on Facebook, with pleas for any information about their whereabouts.
Rescue efforts were made more difficult after the eruption on Saturday destroyed a bridge connected the district of Lumajang to the nearby city of Malang.
Public kitchens and health facilities have been set up for more than 1,700 displaced people.
Footage emerged over the weekend showing residents fleeing after the eruption sent smoke and ash flying 40,000ft up in the air.
The 3,676-meter (12,060-foot) Semeru had last erupted in January, with no casualties. It is among Indonesia’s nearly 130 active volcanoes.
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.
