Rescuers have discovered nine more bodies, bringing the total number of fatalities from an Indonesian volcanic eruption to 22.
Following a pause owing to concerns about safety, the search for the ten hikers who went missing on Mount Marapi resumed on Tuesday.
Nine bodies had been found by afternoon, according to officials, one of which was still missing. In the hospital, twelve more hikers who were hurt are receiving care.
For days, rescue attempts have been impeded by the frequent volcanic eruptions in Marapi.
Five eruptions were recorded on Tuesday alone, according to Ahmad Rifandi, head of Marapi’s monitoring post, who spoke with the AFP news agency.
“Marapi is still a very busy person. The cloud cover prevents us from seeing the column’s height,” he remarked.
Searches for the final hiker who has gone missing will pick back up on Wednesday, rescuers told BBC News Indonesia. They have been using these brief moments of relative calm to look for the missing.
On Sunday, the volcano released a cloud of ash that covered the nearby villages, reaching a height of 3 km (9,800 feet).
Seventy-five hikers were present in the area at the time of the eruption; the majority have been evacuated and are receiving burn treatment.
Of the 127 volcanoes in Indonesia, Mount Marapi, also known as the “Mountain of Fire,” is one of the most active and a favourite hiking destination. Because of ash eruptions in January and February of last year, some trails were only reopened in June. The deadliest eruption at Marapi happened in 1979 and claimed 60 lives.
The eruption on Sunday was captured on camera, revealing a massive cloud of volcanic ash strewn across the sky and ash-covered cars and roads.
On Monday, rescuers alternated in lowering the dead and injured onto ambulances with sirens blaring, after navigating the difficult terrain of the mountain.
Head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency Rudy Rinaldi said, “Some suffered from burns because it was very hot, and they have been taken to the hospital.”
Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina, a hiker, sent a video message from the volcano pleading with her mother to assist her. With her face burnt and her hair matted with thick grey ash, the 19-year-old student, known only as Ife, looked shocked.
“Mom, assist Ife. Ife is currently in this situation,” she remarked.
She and her eighteen school friends went hiking in Marapi, and she is currently receiving medical attention in a hospital.
According to her aunt Rani Radelani, her niece experienced severe trauma, as reported by the BBC Indonesian service.
“We knew [where she was] because she called using her friend’s phone,” said Ms. Radelani.
Ife sobbed uncontrollably during the call. The volcanic ash was making her skin feel hot, she complained.
Rani, though, made an effort to inspire her niece to persevere. She expressed that she was thirsty, hot, cold, and afraid. Ms. Radelani remarked, “I told her you have to be strong because you are tough.”
The third-largest and westernmost of Indonesia’s 18,000 islands is Sumatra, where Marapi is situated. Its height is 2,891 metres (9,485 feet).
Situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where continental plates collide, the Indonesian archipelago experiences heightened seismic and volcanic activity.
