Jakarta (ANTARA) - The death toll from the Mount Semeru eruption in Lumajang district, East Java province, climbed to 43 at 12 p.m. local time on Thursday, Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.
The death toll increased after search and rescue workers found four more bodies around the affected areas at 12 noon on Thursday, the agency's spokesperson, Abdul Muhari, said in a statement issued the same day.
A joint team of rescuers is continuing search efforts in several areas, including Curah Kobokan, Kajar Kuning, Tambang Satuhan/Kebondeli Utara, Kampong Renteng, and Kebondeli Selatan, he added.
They are also continuing to clean up and conduct further assessment in the Kamar Kajang neighborhood of Sumberwuluh village, Muhari said.
The Semeru eruption also injured 104 people and displaced several thousand residents, he noted.
Residents whose houses were badly damaged by volcanic material are currently taking refuge in 121 temporary shelters located across several sub-districts, Muhari said.
Those displaced by the eruption include 2,331 residents of Candipuro sub-district, who are currently being accommodated at 10 temporary shelters, and 1,307 residents of Pasirian sub-district, who are staying in 4 shelters, he informed.
The Mt Semeru eruption also affected 31 public facilities and caused livestock losses, he said.
To help locals whose cattle were affected by the eruption, the Indonesian Veterinarian Association (PDHI)-East Java chapter sent 31 members to the disaster zone, he added.
"We have commenced our door-to-door service since yesterday," chairperson of PHDI-East Java chapter, Puput Rijal, said earlier.
Apart from providing healthcare services to the affected cattle in areas, such as the hamlets of Sukosari and Kebonagung in Sumberwuluh village, Candipuro sub-district, the veterinarians also handed out vitamins, he informed.
"The Mount Semeru eruption did affect cattle. However, alhamdulillah (thank God), the condition is not as bad as projected earlier," Rijal remarked.
The veterinarians' on-field findings showed that several cattle suffered burn injuries, while most had developed minor syndromes, including those related to breathing, he added.
Mount Semeru, located in two districts -- Malang and Lumajang -- in East Java province, erupted on December 4, 2021, at around 3 p.m. local time, spewing incandescent lava accompanied by rumbling sounds and thick gray smoke.
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