PADANG, Indonesia (AP) — The bodies of 11 climbers were recovered Monday, a day after a violent eruption from the Mount Marapi volcano, as Indonesian rescuers searched for 12 people who were apparently still missing.
Marapi has remained at the third-highest of four alert levels since 2011, a level that indicates above-normal volcanic activity and bans climbers or villagers from within three kilometers (1.8 miles) of the peak, said Hendra Gunawan, the chief of the Center for Volcanology and Geology Disaster Reduction.
“This means there should be no climbing to the peak,” Gunawan said, adding that climbers were only allowed below the danger zone, “but sometimes many of them broke the rules to keep climbing for their satisfaction.”
Around 75 mountaineers made their way to the almost 2,900 meter high mountain on Saturday and were stranded. Eight of those rescued on Sunday were taken to hospitals with burns and one also had a broken limb, said Hari Agustian, an official with the local search and rescue agency in Padang, the provincial capital of West Sumatra.
All climbers registered before their climb at two command posts or online through the West Sumatra Nature Conservation Agency, Agustian said. It is possible that others may have taken illegal roads or residents may have been active in the area, but this cannot be confirmed, he said.
Marapi spewed thick columns of ash up to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) high in Sunday’s eruption, and hot ash clouds spread for several miles (kilometers). Surrounding villages and towns were covered in tons of volcanic debris. According to a video on social media, volcanic dust and rain smeared the faces and hair of evacuated climbers.
Falling ash covered several villages and blocked sunlight. Authorities distributed masks and urged residents to wear glasses to protect themselves from volcanic ash. About 1,400 people live on the slopes of Marapi in Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang, the nearest villages about 5 to 6 kilometers (3.1 to 3.7 miles) from the summit.
Gunawan said Sunday’s eruption was not preceded by a significant increase in volcanic tremors. Deep volcanic tremors were recorded only three times between November 16 and Sunday, while the deformation equipment or inclinometer at the summit showed a horizontal pattern on the radial axis and a slight puffing on the tangential axis.
“This shows that the eruption process is rapid and the pressure center is very shallow around the summit,” he said.
Gunawan said regular eruptions of Marapi have been observed every two to four years since 2004.
“Marapi eruptions always occur suddenly and are difficult to detect with equipment because the source is close to the surface,” Gunawan said. “This eruption was not caused by the movement of magma.”
Abdul Malik, head of West Sumatra’s search and rescue agency, said rescuers found 11 bodies of climbers and rescued three others while searching for the missing people on Monday morning.
“The evacuation process of bodies and survivors is still underway,” he said, adding that rescuers were still searching for 12 climbers who were reportedly still missing.
Marapi has been active since an eruption in January that caused no casualties. It is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is vulnerable to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that encircles the Pacific basin.
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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
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This story has been updated to correct the number of climbers who remain missing.