At least eleven hikers have died following the eruption of the Marapi volcano in western Indonesia after an overnight search found three people alive.
“There are 26 people who have not been evacuated. We found fourteen, three were found alive and eleven dead,” Abdul Malik, head of the Padang search and rescue agency, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, December 4. Accordingly, twelve people are missing.
The eruption of Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra began shortly before 3 p.m. (9 a.m. Paris time) on Sunday. The three survivors were rescued near the crater and were “in a weakened condition, some had burns,” the official said. The rescuers took turns lowering the bodies of the deceased to the foot of the mountain.
The outbreak is still ongoing
The ongoing eruption is preventing helicopter evacuations, Mr. Malik said. “As of this morning, smoke is still rising from the summit. Visually everything still looks gray,” he added.
Ash ejected from Mount Marapi has been observed up to 3,000 meters above its summit, Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards, said on Sunday.
Mr Malik said a total of 75 hikers had been on the mountain since Saturday. 49 of them came down, some were taken to hospital.
Rudy Rinaldi, director of the West Sumatra provincial disaster management agency, told AFP that some of the rescued hikers were receiving medical treatment. “They suffered burns due to the intense heat and were taken to hospital,” he said. The injured are those who approached the crater. »
Three kilometer long exclusion zone
Ade Setiawan, head of the local disaster management agency, said in a statement that residents of surrounding villages had been given masks and reminded to stay in their homes.
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The 2,891-meter-high Marapi, whose name means “mountain of fire,” is the most active volcano on the island of Sumatra. According to the authorities, the alarm level is currently at the third level on a scale of four. They imposed a three-kilometer-long exclusion zone around the crater. It should not be confused with the Merapi volcano, which is located on the island of Java.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates results in significant volcanic and seismic activity. The country has almost 130 active volcanoes.