The volcanic gases that pose the greatest hazzard to people are sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen fluoride. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air, the gas may flow into low-lying areas and collect in the soil. This would be a good answer as to the question why the people in village died from the gases from the volcanic eruption on top of the mountain. Carbon dioxide is more dense than air and can posion a person and that is what happened in this case.
According to this website http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/index.php#SO2
The World Health Organization recommends a concentration of no greater than 0.5 ppm over 24 hours for maximum exposure. A concentration of 6-12 ppm can cause immediate irritation of the nose and throat; 20 ppm can cause eye irritation; 10,000 ppm will irritate moist skin within minutes.
With this information, we can tell that even a small amount of sulfur dioxide is not good, so a large amount is even worse and can be toxic.
Sulfur dioxide gas reacts chemically with sunlight, oxygen, dust particles, and water to form volcanic smog knownn certain circumstances, CO2 may become concentrated at levels lethal to people and animals. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air and the gas can flow into in low-lying areas; breathing air with more than 30% CO2 can quickly induce unconsciousness and cause death. In volcanic or other areas where CO2 emissions occur, it is important to avoid small depressions and low areas that might be CO2 traps.
Above stated is a perfect reasoning for why the people in village died. Because CO2 was so much more dense then Oxygen and because they were in a village was such a big part of it. Because they were in an intrapped place were not a lot of oxygen flowed through were they were- that is probably why they died. Normally CO2 is not toxic, but in large amounts and were oxygen can't get in then it becomes deadly.
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