1979 eruption of Sinila crater

During the night of 20 February 1979, the Sinila volcano of the Dieng Volcanic Complex erupted on the Indonesian island of Java in Central Java province. Over 175 people died, mainly due to gas poisoning in villages on the plateau near the Sinila crater. It was the fourth Sinila eruption since 1928, and the first one since 1951.

The eruption came unexpectedly as the Sinila volcano was considered extinct already for a long time. The eruption followed after seven earthquakes and an explosion. Next to lava, toxic gas was released which could be seen, smelled or tasted. As the eruption took place during the night, people inhaled the poisonous gases during their sleep and died. The village with the most deaths was Pucukan, where bodies were also lying on the streets. The rescue work was made difficult due to toxic gases and poor connections. At some places the streets were covered by an 8 m layer of lava. The worst affected village was Pekasiran, that was inaccessible due to the mud and lava. Rescue work was also hampered due to a lack of gas masks. Policemen, soldiers and volunteers were killed by the gases due to the absence of enough gas masks.

A few days after the eruption, the death toll rose to 180. Some sources even stated over 800 deaths. According to an expert, most people died due to panic after the eruption. People went to higher ground to flee the lava, but were killed by the toxic gas. Over 1,000 people were injured, and many people were hospitalized. The Indonesian government ordered that an area of 3 km around the mountain was evacuating, affecting around 17,000 people.