The death toll from the eruption of Indonesia's Mount Semeru volcano rose to 34 yesterday, the national disaster agency said, as aid was rushed to the affected region.
The mountain on the island of Java had thundered to life last Saturday, ejecting volcanic ash high into the sky and raining hot mud on villages as thousands of panicked people fled their homes.
The disaster swallowed entire homes and vehicles, blanketing villages such as Curah Kobokan in grey ash and leaving residents terrified of returning home.
"I'm traumatized, I asked my relatives if they were brave enough to go back to Curah Kobokan and they all said no, they'd rather sleep under a tree," said Marzuki Suganda, a 30-year-old who works at a sand mine in the area.
"When the eruption happened, I really thought I was going to die here."
Rescuers have been battling dangerous conditions since the deadly weekend eruption, searching for survivors and bodies in the volcanic debris, wrecked buildings and destroyed vehicles.
Search crews used dogs yesterday to aid the operation.
"The latest update from the ground ... (is) 34 people died, 17 are missing," the disaster agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said. Almost 3,700 have been evacuated from the affected area, he added.
Mount Semeru has remained active since Saturday, keeping emergency workers and area residents on edge.
There were three small eruptions yesterday, each spewing ash around a kilometer into the sky, authorities said. The task for rescuers was made more difficult by the instability of the volcanic debris.
"What we are afraid of is the ground being cold outside but still hot inside," said police officer Imam Mukson Rido. "If it's hot inside, we must get away."
Officials have advised locals not to travel within 5km of Semeru's crater, as the nearby air is highly polluted and could affect vulnerable groups.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during a trip to the area yesterday that the government will look into moving homes away because of the threat posed by the volcano. "I hope after things calm down we can start both fixing infrastructures and think about the possibility of relocation from areas we believe to be dangerous," he told Indonesia's Metro TV.
"Earlier I got a report (that) there are around 2,000 houses that must be relocated."
Officials earlier said residents of the hardest-hit villages will be relocated within the next six months, and each family waiting for a new house will be provided 500,000 rupiah (US$34.50) per month in compensation.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said 56 people were hospitalized after the eruption, most with burns. He said rescuers are still searching for 27 villagers reported missing. Nearly 3,000 houses and 38 schools were damaged.
Cargo planes carrying food, tents, blankets and other supplies landed for distribution in temporary shelters.
Relief workers struggled yesterday to clear tons of volcanic debris, and focused on three locations in the worst-hit village of Sumberwuluh, where people are still believed trapped in houses that were buried, said Wayan Suyatna, who heads the local search and rescue agency.