Mount Marapi Death Toll Rises to 23
Mount Marapi. (Source: Andreas Hunziker)
With more bodies found on the slopes of Mount Marapi the volcano in West Sumatra, Indonesia, and one last body found on Wednesday, rescuers say the death toll is up to 23.
Mount Marapi, the most active volcano in West Sumatra, suddenly erupted on Sunday, catching hikers as well as residents by surprise. As a column of hot ash columns of ash as high as 9,800 feet shot up in the sky, rescue operations began to evacuate hikers on the mount’s popular hiking trails.
While more than 50 people were evacuated, three bodies were found and a further 11 were presumed dead. The search for more survivors was hindered by another eruption on Monday, which spewed yet more columns of hot ash up to 2,600 feet and forced rescuers to temporarily halt the operations.
On Tuesday, rescuers found more bodies on the slopes of Mount Marapi, and the confirmed death toll jumped to 22.
Edi Mardianto, the deputy police chief in West Sumatra province, said on Tuesday, “The rest we want to evacuate are 18 and we expect they are no longer alive. The team will evacuate and take them to the hospital tomorrow or today to be identified.”
Several of the bodies were found close to the eruption site. The three kilometres around the crater of Mount Marapi are considered a danger zone, with climbers as well as locals only allowed below it. However, climbers have been known to climb further than permitted.
As of Wednesday morning, one person remained missing and presumed dead. Their body was found the same day, and rescuers confirmed the death toll of 23.
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