School children among 11 killed by Indonesia volcano eruption

Eleven people, including four schoolchildren, were killed Saturday after they were engulfed by scorching ash clouds spat out by Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung in its biggest eruption in recent days, officials said.

According to AFP, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency said that eight people were found dead in Sukameriah village, near Mount Sinabung on the western island of Sumatra, four or whom were high school students on a sightseeing trip to the volcano.
Nugroho added: “Three other bodies were recovered from the village later in the afternoon and were taken to hospital for identification.”
Officials fear there could be more fatalities from Saturday’s eruptions, but due to the high potential of lethal heat clouds spewing from the mountain, the search and rescue has been grounded.
Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra’s Karo district has been erupting since September, displacing more than 30,000 people.
Saturday’s eruption came a day after the National Disaster Management Agency said residents living farther than 5 kilometres from the peak were being allowed to return to their homes after a lull in activity.
The 2,460—metre volcano had been dormant for 400 years before it erupted in August 2010.