Two additional bodies were discovered on the Indonesian volcano that erupted over the weekend, raising the death toll to 13. The search for the remaining 10 hikers on Mount Marapi resumed on Tuesday after a safety pause. Despite ongoing eruptions, hundreds of rescuers navigated slippery terrain in their quest to find the missing individuals.
On Sunday, Marapi expelled a 3km (9,800ft) ash cloud, enveloping nearby villages in ash. Of the 75 hikers in the area during the eruption, most have been evacuated and treated for burns. Rescuers, capitalizing on moments of relative calm, are actively searching for the 10 missing individuals, as reported by Syahlul Munal to BBC News Indonesia. Munal, part of the rescue team, noted that the two bodies recovered on Tuesday were found at separate locations.
Mount Marapi, meaning “Mountain of Fire,” is among Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and a popular destination for hikers. Trails reopened last June following ash eruptions from January to February. The deadliest eruption occurred in 1979, claiming 60 lives.
Ahmad Rifandi, an official at Marapi’s monitoring station, observed five eruptions from midnight to 08:00 local time on Tuesday. He emphasized Marapi’s continued activity, with the eruption column height obscured by clouds.
Video footage from Sunday’s eruption depicted a massive volcanic ash cloud spreading across the sky, covering cars and roads in ash. Rescuers faced challenges evacuating the injured and deceased on Monday, navigating the mountain’s difficult terrain to waiting ambulances with blaring sirens.
In a video message from the volcano, 19-year-old hiker Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina, nicknamed Ife, appealed to her mother for help. Her shocked appearance featured a burnt face and hair matted with thick grey ash.
Marapi, situated on Sumatra, the third-largest of Indonesia’s 18,000 islands, stands at 2,891m (9,485ft) high. The Indonesian archipelago, located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences heightened volcanic and seismic activity due to the convergence of continental plates.
