AGAM: The death toll from the eruption of Mount Marapi in Indonesia has surged to 22, with search and rescue operations nearing conclusion after nine more bodies were discovered, as reported by a search and rescue agency official on Tuesday. Mount Marapi, located on the island of Sumatra, unleashed a towering ash column 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the sky on Sunday.
The search for missing hikers, numbering 10 on Tuesday, has seen the discovery of most victims, with Abdul Malik, the head of Padang Search and Rescue Agency, confirming that nine of the missing persons were found dead. Efforts are underway to evacuate the deceased from the mountain, with one victim still unaccounted for.
Rescue officials have faced challenging conditions, carrying the bodies down the mountain in body bags over several days. Images shared by Basarnas, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, showed a team of six, outfitted in orange jackets and hard hats, descending the volcano with a recovered body on Tuesday.
Survivors of the eruption, some of the 75 hikers on the mountain during the incident, have recounted harrowing experiences. Ridho, a 22-year-old survivor, described his frantic descent, stating, “The eruption sounded loud, I took a look behind then immediately ran away as everyone did. Some jumped and fell. I took cover behind the rocks, there were no trees there.”
Frequent Seismic and Volcanic Activity in Indonesia’s Sumatra Island
Despite ongoing rescue efforts, the volcano remained active as of midday on Tuesday, hindering the work of more than 200 personnel involved in the operation. Ahmad Rifandi, head of Marapi’s monitoring post, reported five eruptions observed from midnight to 8:00 am.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency, represented by Hendra Gunawan, noted that Marapi had been at the second level of a four-tier alert system since 2011, with a three-kilometer exclusion zone imposed around its crater. Gunawan expressed concern about hikers venturing too close to the crater, emphasizing that the agency recommended no human activities in that zone.
The victims, severely burned, are being identified through dental and fingerprint records or based on marks on their bodies. The search efforts are expected to continue for seven days until all missing hikers are accounted for.
Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to tectonic plate movements. Mount Marapi, also known as the “Mountain of Fire,” is the most active volcano on Sumatra island.
