Many of those who were burnt had thought the hot mud flow was flooding so stayed in their villages, said Lumajang Public Order Agency spokesman Adi Hendro. 

“They did not have time to run away,” he told the AFP news agency.

Rescuers in another village, Curah Kobokan, found the body of a mother still holding her dead baby, the state news agency Antara reported. 

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency announced that at least 14 people had died. At least 56 people were injured, with most suffering serious burns, according to health officials. Around 1,300 people had been evacuated, while authorities were trying to confirm the whereabouts of nine people. 

Ash clouds hamper evacuation efforts

Joko Widodo, the president of the Southeast Asian archipelago nation, on Sunday ordered a rapid emergency response to find victims. Rescuers reached 10 people who had been trapped in areas surrounding Lumajang, national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari told a press conference.

But those rescue efforts were hampered by hot ash and debris, and the destruction of at least one bridge connecting two areas by debris-filled lava and heavy rain. 

Evacuations were temporarily halted on Sunday because of ash clouds, and Indonesia’s geological agency said expected rain over the coming days could further frustrate the rescue work.