Rescuers report that eleven hikers were discovered dead close to the crater of Indonesia’s Marapi volcano following its eruption over the weekend.
On Monday, three persons were saved. A modest eruption has forced the suspension of the search for the remaining 12 missing people.
During the eruption, there were seventy-five hikers in the area; however, the majority had been safely evacuated.
One of the 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia, Mount Marapi, erupted ash on Sunday that reached a height of 3 km (9,800 feet).
Residents are not allowed to go within three kilometres of the crater, and authorities have implemented the second-highest warning level.
Abdul Malik, the chief of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency, stated that the three individuals who were saved and discovered close to the crater were “weak and had some burns”. A large number of the 49 climbers who were evacuated from the region early on Monday had burns.
During the eruption on Sunday, a massive cloud of volcanic ash was visible in the sky, covering automobiles and roadways in ash.
Rescuers alternated in taking the injured and dead down the steep mountainside and onto ambulances that were waiting with sirens blasting.
“They were taken to the hospital after suffering burns from the extreme heat,” stated Rudy Rinaldi, the director of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency.
As she piggybacked on a rescuer, one of the hikers who had been rescued groaned in agony and exclaimed, “God is great,” according to the AFP news agency.
The local search and rescue team’s spokesperson, Jodi Haryawan, informed reporters that it would be “too dangerous” to carry out further search operations while the volcano was erupting.
Situated on the westernmost island of Sumatra in Indonesia, stands the 2,891-meter (9,485-foot) tall Mount Marapi.
The Indonesian archipelago is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by the collision of continental plates.
Hanna Samosir provided more reporting from Jakarta.
BBC
