Indonesian leader visits eruption survivors, vows to rebuild

By AGOES BASOEKI
Associated Press

LUMAJANG, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s president has visited areas devastated by a powerful volcanic eruption that killed at least 34 people and left thousands homeless, and vowed that communities would be quickly rebuilt. Clouds of hot ash shot high into the sky and an avalanche of lava and searing gas swept down Mount Semeru’s slopes in a sudden eruption Saturday triggered by heavy rain. Villages and towns were blanketed by tons of volcanic debris. President Joko Widodo visited eruption-hit areas in Lumajang district in East Java province to reassure people that the government’s response is reaching those in need. After visiting survivors in shelters on a soccer field, he pledged to rebuild infrastructure and move more than 2,000 houses out of danger zones.