The eruption of Semeru volcano has killed at least 14 people and injured dozens on Java island, Indonesia's disaster agency said on Sunday, as rescue teams searched for victims under layers of ash, sometimes digging with their bare hands. 

Semeru, the tallest mountain on Java, threw up towers of ash and hot clouds on Saturday that blanketed nearby villages in East Java province and sent people fleeing in panic. The eruption destroyed buildings and severed a strategic bridge connecting two areas in the nearby district of Lumajang with the city of Malang, authorities said.

Trucks are covered by volcanic ash that spewed out of Mount Semeru, in Sumber Wuluh village, Lumajang, East Java province, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021 (ANTARA FOTO/ZABUR KARURU VIA REUTERS)

Villagers evacuate their homes in Sumber Wuluh village in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 6, 2021. (AFP PHOTO)

A house is seen covered in volcanic ash at Sumber Wuluh village in Lumajang after the Semeru volcano eruption that killed at least 15 people, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (AFP PHOTO)

A villager rests in an area covered in volcanic ash in Sumber Wuluh village in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (AFP PHOTO)

Villagers gather at an evacuation center in Sumber Wuluh village in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021 (AFP PHOTO)

Mount Semeru spews hot clouds of ash as seen from Pronojiwo, Lumajang, East Java province, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (ANTARA FOTO/ARI BOWO SUCIPTO/VIA REUTERS)

Rescuers search for survivors at Sumber Wuluh village in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 6, 2021. (AFP PHOTO)

A family portrait still hangs in a damaged home in the village of Sumber Wuluh in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 6, 2021 (AFP PHOTO)

Rescuers carry away the body of a victim in Sumber Wuluh village in Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Dec. 6, 2021. (AFP PHOTO)

A man stands amid damaged houses covered in volcanic ash from Mount Semeru in Sumber Wuluh village, Lumajang, East Java province, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (ANTARA FOTO/UMARUL FARUQ/VIA REUTERS)

Houses and trucks are covered in ash following a volcanic eruption from Mount Semeru that killed a least 15 people, in Lumajang, East Java province, Indonesia, Dec. 6, 2021. (AFP PHOTO)

An aerial view of the damaged houses in Sumber Wuluh village after the eruption of the Mount Semeru volcano in Lumajang regency, East Java province, Indonesia, Dec. 5, 2021. (REUTERS PHOTO)

The swaths of ash from the eruption of Mount Semeru cover a village area in the Lumajang district, East Java province, Indonesia, Dec. 6, 2021. (AP PHOTO)

Rescue workers find a victim in an area affected by the eruption of the Mount Semeru volcano in Sumberwuluh village, Lumajang, Indonesia, Dec. 6, 2021 (REUTERS PHOTO)

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