The death toll after the eruption of the Marapi volcano, in western Indonesia, rose to 13, after the discovery of the bodies of two more climbers, a person responsible for rescue operations reported this Tuesday.
“The total number of dead now stands at 13. The search is still underway for ten missing climbers,” the director of the local rescue service, Abdul Malik, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The previous balance indicated 11 deaths.
The volcano remains at the third highest alert level (of four) since 2011, a level that indicates higher-than-normal volcanic activity and prohibits climbers and residents within a three-kilometer radius around the summit, he said. the director of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation, Hendra Gunawan.
About 75 climbers had begun climbing the nearly 2,900-meter mountain on Saturday and were stranded. The authorities rescued the majority.
Mount Marapi erupted on Sunday, spewing thick columns of ash up to 3,000 meters high and clouds of hot ash spread for several kilometres.
The surrounding towns and cities were covered in tons of volcanic debris that blocked sunlight. Authorities distributed masks and asked residents to wear glasses to protect themselves from volcanic ash.
About 1,400 people live on the slopes of Marapi, in the nearest villages, Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang, about five or six kilometers from the summit.
Marapi has been active since an eruption in January that caused no casualties. It is one of more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a region prone to seismic disturbances due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines surrounding the Pacific basin.
Source: TSF
