SUMBERWULUH, Indonesia: Improved weather conditions on Monday allowed rescuers to resume evacuation efforts and a search for possible victims after monsoon rains triggered the eruption of the highest volcano on Indonesia's most densely populated island.

Mount Semeru in the Lumajang district of East Java province spewed thick columns of ash more than 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet) into the sky on Sunday. Villages and nearby towns were blanketed with falling ash, blocking out the sun, but casualties are yet to be reported.