Deadly cold lava flow from active volcano and widespread flooding hits Indonesia

By Heather Chen and Lucas Lilieholm, CNN

(CNN) — At least 37 people have been killed, and more than a dozen injured on the Indonesian island of Sumatra after heavy rains triggered flash flooding and a cold lava flow from an active volcano, search and rescue officials said on Sunday.

Cold lava, also known as lahar, is a mixture of volcanic debris such as ash, sand and pebbles that flows down a volcano’s slopes during wet weather.

Images shared by Indonesia’s disaster response agency showed thick mud and ash partially covering roads and mountainside villages near the foot of Mount Marapi, an active volcano in western Sumatra.

The agency said 84 housing units and 16 bridges had been affected by the volcanic mudslides, with additional flooding reported throughout four districts, including the Agam Regency, where torrential rains submerged more than 100 houses and buildings and swept villagers away.

At least thirty seven people have died in the rains and volcanic mudslides, Abdul Muhari, a communications official at Indonesia’s disaster response agency, said in a statement, adding that 35 bodies have been identified — most of them from Agam Regency, an administrative subdivision home to approximately 500,000 people.

The 2,891-meter-high (9,500 feet) Mount Marapi is among the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, which lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire with 127 active volcanos – more than anywhere else in the world.

It has erupted 11 times during the early 21st century, with it deadliest single event having killed 60 people in 1979. An eruption in December killed 23 climbers and spewed ash as high as 3,000 meters (9,843 feet) into the air, covering entire towns, roads and vehicles in the surrounding areas.

Mount Marapi erupted again in January, during which Indonesian government authorities warned residents and visitors not to go within a 4.5 kilometer (2.8 mile) radius of the crater where the eruption took place.

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