A deadly volcanic eruption on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has claimed the lives of at least 11 mountain climbers and left some others missing, a local rescue official confirmed on Monday.
The eruption of Mount Marapi, which is as high as 2,891 meters above sea level, occurred on Sunday, spewing a column of ash of 3,000 meters and spreading volcanic ash and rocks into the surrounding area.
The head of Padang Search and Rescue Agency, Abdul Malik, reported that a total of 49 climbers were found in the initial phase of the rescue mission, as stated by Xinhua news agency. They all survived and were taken to hospital, and some have returned home.
In the second stage, 14 more people were found, but only three of them survived. The trio were on their way to the foot of the mountain in western Indonesia amid the eruption.
Malik said that authorities deployed nearly 100 people to search for a total of 75 recorded climbers who were on the mountain when the eruption happened.
Authorities also prohibited people from being in the danger zone within a 3-km radius of the main crater.
Mount Marapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, which lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean. The volcano has erupted several times in the past, most recently in 2018.
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