Rescuers report the discovery of eleven deceased hikers near the crater of Indonesia‘s Mount Marapi volcano following its weekend eruption.
The quest for twelve missing persons was put on hold on Monday due to a smaller eruption that occurred. At the time of the main eruption on Sunday, 75 hikers were in the vicinity, and most of them were safely evacuated.
Mount Marapi discharged a 3km (9,800ft) ash cloud into the atmosphere, leading to the obscuration of the sky and the coating of neighboring villages with ash.
Marapi, ranked among Indonesia’s most active of 127 volcanoes, is a popular destination for hikers. Trails that closed from January to February due to ash eruptions reopened in June. The volcano’s deadliest eruption occurred in 1979, resulting in the loss of 60 lives.
Three people were rescued near the crater on Monday before the search was suspended. They were “weak and had some burns”, said Abdul Malik, head of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency.
Read also: Panic As 12 Die In Indonesia After Drinking Bootleg Alcohol
Forty-nine climbers were evacuated from the area earlier in the day, many of whom also suffered burns.
The identities of the hikers were not promptly disclosed by authorities.
The video footage from Sunday’s eruption displayed a large volcanic ash cloud dispersing widely in the sky, and both cars and roads were coated with ash.
Rescue workers alternated in carrying the deceased and the injured down the challenging terrain of the mountain, transporting them to waiting ambulances with blaring sirens.
‘Some suffered from burns because it was very hot, and they have been taken to the hospital,’ said Rudy Rinaldi, head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency.