Voice 9, International Desk: At
least 11 hikers in western Indonesia were killed when a volcano erupted. Mount
Marapi, located on the island of Sumatra, experienced an eruption on Sunday,
causing a massive ash column to rise 3,000 meters into the sky. The head of the
Padang Search and Rescue Agency, Abdul Malik, reported that out of the 26
individuals who had not been evacuated, 14 have been found so far.
Unfortunately, 11 of them were found lifeless, while three were discovered
alive.
Malik further stated that there
have been a total of 75 hikers on the mountain since Saturday, and efforts are
underway to locate and ensure the safety of the remaining 12 individuals who
are still missing. Additionally, 49 hikers have successfully descended, with
some requiring medical attention and being taken to the hospital.
The West Sumatra Natural
Resources Conservation Agency reported that rescue teams worked tirelessly
throughout the night to ensure the safe descent of mountaineers. According to
Rudy Rinaldi, the head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency, some of
the hikers who were rescued required medical attention. He mentioned that a few
individuals suffered burns due to the intense heat and were subsequently transported
to the hospital.
Rinaldi further explained that
those who sustained injuries were the ones who ventured closer to the volcano's
crater. Marapi, currently at the second alert level in Indonesia's four-step
system, has prompted authorities to establish a three-kilometer exclusion zone
around its crater. It is worth noting that the Indonesian archipelago, situated
on the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences heightened volcanic and seismic
activity due to the convergence of continental plates.
