Indonesian officials searched through thick ash for bodies on Sunday after Mount Sinabung volcano erupted,killing at least 15 people, with the only sign of life an owner less mobile phone ringing inside an abandoned bag.
Dark, searing clouds engulfed victims during the eruption on Saturday, leaving rescuers with little hope of finding survivors as they searched through ash up to 30 cm thick.
Officials said about 170 people armed with chainsaws and oxygen apparatus spread out through the destruction in Sukameriah village, just 2.7 km from Sinabung's crater, on Sunday before the search was called off.
"There's no sign of human life. All the crops were gone. Many houses were damaged and those still standing were covered in thick white ash. It was hard to walk in ash which nearly reached my calves," Gito, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP.
"We didn't find bodies but we picked up a bag belonging to one of the victims. The cellphone was ringing," he added.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, was unable to put a figure to the number of people still missing, but said there was a "chance" that the death toll might rise.
Residents had been evacuated from the village, located in the "red zone" around the volcano where human activities are strictly banned.
"It's very dangerous and completely out of bounds. But many of the tourists still secretly went to the area to take photographs," disaster official Tri Budiarto said.