Hope, sadness as volunteers search for victims of Indonesian volcano

Rescuers use a heavy vehicle during a rescue operation following the eruption of Mount Semeru volcano in Curah Kobokan village, Pronojiwo district, in Lumajang, Indonesia, December 7, 2021. REUTERS/Tommy Ardiansyah

CURAH KOBOKAN, Indonesia (Reuters) - At the foot of Indonesia's Mount Semeru, what is left of the houses along the main village road are covered in a thick layer of hardened volcanic ash.

Curah Kobokan was among the worst-hit areas when the 3,676-metre (12,060 ft) Mount Semeru erupted on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash into the sky and dangerous pyroclastic flows into villages below.