Pope Francis Sends Condolences to Victims of Volcanic Eruption in Indonesia

ROME — Pope Francis sent a telegram Tuesday expressing his condolences to victims of the eruption of Mount Semeru, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, which claimed the lives of at least 34 people.

Pope Francis “was saddened to learn of the recent loss of life and destruction caused by the eruption of Mount Semeru,” states the telegram, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the pope’s behest.

In the message, addressed to the papal nuncio to Indonesia, Archbishop Piero Pioppo, the pontiff expressed “his heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by this immense tragedy.”

The pope “offers the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured, and displaced as well as for the emergency personnel and civil authorities engaged in recovery efforts,” it read, and as “a sign of his spiritual closeness, his holiness willingly invokes upon all the divine blessings of strength and peace.”

Mount Semeru erupted Saturday, with a further three lesser eruptions Tuesday, spewing hot ash and volcanic gas into the air, turning the sky dark over villages in East Java’s Lumajang district.

The eruption damaged nearly 3,000 houses and 38 schools and some 2,000 people have been evacuated from the area and relocated across 19 makeshift centers. Seventeen people are still missing.

Other damage included the destruction of a bridge that connects Lumajang with the neighboring Malang district, authorities said, which blocked access from the main road and impeded rescue efforts.

At least 55 eruptions have been recorded from Mount Semeru since 1818, eleven of which resulted in fatalities, and the volcano has been in a state of near-constant eruption from 1967 to the present.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the site of the eruption Tuesday, pledging afterwards to reinforce evacuation efforts and rebuild damaged homes.

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