11 Hikers Killed As Volcano Erupts In Indonesia, Search Operations Underway

After a volcano erupted in western Indonesia, at least 11 hikers were discovered dead, a local rescue official informed.
With a peak elevation of 2,891 metres (9,484 feet), Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra erupted on Sunday, shooting a 3,000-meter-tall ash tower skyward.

Speaking a day after the eruption, Abdul Malik, the chief of Padang Search and Rescue Agency, stated, “There are 26 people who have not been evacuated. We have found 14 of them, three were found alive, and 11 were found dead.”

He said there were a total of 75 hikers on the mountain from Saturday whom rescue workers were trying to account for. Twelve were still missing and 49 had descended, some of whom had been taken to hospital, he said.

Also read: Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano erupts, spewing out ash 3 km into sky

To assist in getting mountaineers down to safety, rescue teams were operating through the night, according to the natural resources conservation agency of West Sumatra.

Rudy Rinaldi, the chairman of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency informed that a few of the hikers who were rescued were undergoing medical attention.

“Some suffered from burns because it was very hot, and they have been taken to the hospital,” he stated.

Also read: Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano erupts, spewing out ash 3 km into sky

Those who were injured were the ones who were near the crater. Authorities have established a three-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding Marapi’s crater, and the town is currently on Indonesia’s second warning level under a four-step system.

The Indonesian archipelago is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by the collision of continental plates.