"Multiple Fatalities as Cold Lava Mudslides Strike Indonesian Island of Sumatra"

"Cold lava mudslides devastate Sumatra, Indonesia, claiming numerous lives in a tragic event. Explore the aftermath and repercussions of this natural disaster on the island's inhabitants and communities."

Almost 20 individuals are unaccounted for subsequent to monsoon rains prompting flash floods, propelling streams of volcanic debris and mud down the inclines of Mount Marapi volcano.

Officials reported that heavy rainfall triggered flash floods and unleashed torrents of cold lava and mud down the slopes of a volcano on Indonesia's Sumatra island, resulting in the deaths of at least 41 individuals, with over a dozen others missing. Monsoon rains and a significant mudslide, originating from a cold lava flow on Mount Marapi, caused a river to breach its banks, devastating mountainside villages across four districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight on Saturday. The floods engulfed people, submerging over 100 residences and structures, as confirmed by national disaster management agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari on Sunday. Cold lava, also referred to as lahar, comprises volcanic material and pebbles, flowing down a volcano's slopes during rainfall.

Ilham Wahab, an official from the West Sumatra disaster mitigation agency, reported that as of Monday morning, the flooding had claimed the lives of 41 individuals, with an additional 17 individuals still missing. The worst-hit areas, Agam district and Tanah Datar, accounted for three and fourteen missing persons, respectively, and are home to hundreds of thousands of residents. Approximately half of the deceased were discovered in Canduang village in Agam, while nine were found in Tanah Datar and eight in the Padang Pariaman region.

On Saturday night, flash floods resulted in main roads in the Tanah Datar district becoming impassable due to mud, severing access to neighboring cities, as reported by local police chief Kartyana Putra on Sunday. Videos released by Basarnas depicted roads submerged in murky brown waters resembling rivers.

This disaster occurred merely two months following heavy rainfall-induced flash floods and landslides in West Sumatra's Pesisir Selatan and Padang Pariaman districts, which claimed the lives of at least 21 individuals, with five others still unaccounted for.

Mount Marapi, towering at 2,885 meters (9,465 feet), experienced an eruption late last year, resulting in the tragic death of 23 climbers who were caught off guard. Since 2011, the volcano has maintained the third-highest alert level out of four, signifying heightened volcanic activity. As a precautionary measure, climbers and villagers are advised to maintain a distance of more than 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) from the peak, in accordance with Indonesia’s center for volcanology and geological disaster mitigation.

Marapi is notorious for its sudden eruptions, challenging to forecast due to its shallow source near the peak. Unlike eruptions caused by deep magma movements, which trigger detectable tremors on seismic monitors, Marapi's eruptions occur without such seismic activity.

Since its eruption in January 2023, which fortunately resulted in no casualties, Marapi has remained active. It is part of Indonesia's extensive collection of over 120 active volcanoes. Positioned along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin, Indonesia is highly susceptible to seismic events.

Source: the guardian‍