Death Toll Rises as Mount Sinabung in Indonesia Erupts

Villagers were left in critical conditions after Mount Sinabung, a volcano in North Sumatra, Indonesia erupted on May 21.

National Disaster Management Agency reported that at least seven are dead with two other people injured as Saturday's hot clouds went up to three kilometers into the sky and landed up to 4.5 kilometers down the slopes.

Reports said that the victims are farmers from Gamber who were illegally tending the lands located in the areas labeled as "red zone."

Independent UK said "red zone" is an area, declared off limits by the Indonesian Government for safety reasons, as it is situated only about 4 kilometers from the slope.

Suggesting that they might have violated the law, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB ) spokesman said in a press statement, "No one should have stayed [...] But there were some who remained to tend to their farms," added the spokesman.

Mount Sinabung has been increasingly active in the recent years. After being dormant for four centuries, it erupted in 2010, leaving two people dead. In 2014, it once flared up, taking 16 lives. Since then, Gamber has been permanently relocated, along with Kuta Tonggal, Gurukinayan and Berastepu.

People have been restricted to cross the red zone because of its highly dangerous location. Authorities believe that the villagers kept on coming back to the restricted area due to economic purposes.

The 8,530-foot-high volcano is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic turmoil because it sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a circle of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. Over the years,the volacno eruptions recorded are intensifying, posing growing concerns among the villagers.

Soldiers, police and personnel had already joined forces to perform search and rescue operations around the area where devastation is visible as coffee plants, chili farms, houses and houses were left covered in ash and pets and livestock animals were left dead on the fields.

Photos and videos from various news agencies recorded pyroclastic flows, hot rock fragments (usually between 200°C and 700°C ), spewing in the village, making the rescue operation harder.