Just one day after officials allowed those who live in the villages surrounding Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung to return to their community, the volcano erupted again on Friday. (Previously, more than 30,000 displaced residents were being housed in cramped tents, schools and public buildings after Sinabung began spewing lava, rocks, and searing gas back in September.) The Associated Press reports that fourteen people were killed in Sinabung’s latest eruption, though Lieutenant Colonel Asep Sukarna, who is leading the rescue operation, expects to find more bodies after the flames fade away and rescuers can enter the area on Sumatra Island again.
“The death toll is likely to rise as many people are reported still missing and the darkness hampered our rescue efforts,” he said. The BBC points out that, unlike Indonesia’s other 129 active volcanoes, which make up the tectonic fault line–straddling Pacific Ring of Fire, Sinabung’s 400-year dormancy means that it hasn’t been as widely studied, so less is known about its patterns.
