The death toll from the eruption of the Marapi volcano in western Indonesia has risen to 23 after more bodies were discovered, the deputy police chief in West Sumatra province said on Tuesday.
More than 50 climbers were rescued after the first eruption on Sunday, and another 11 were initially confirmed dead.
Another eruption on Monday spewed another explosion of hot ash up to 800 meters into the air, forcing a temporary halt to search activities.
The last bodies were found not far from the eruption site, just a few meters away, said deputy police chief in West Sumatra province Edi Mardianto, quoted by the Associated Press.
“The rest [alpinistas] We want to remove 18 of them. They must not be alive anymore. The team will take them out and take them to the hospital tomorrow [quarta-feira] or today to be identified,” Mardianto said.
Rescue teams are dealing with bad weather and terrain restrictions as strong winds bring heat from the eruptions.
Marapi has been at the third highest level of four alert levels since 2011, a level indicating above-normal volcanic activity, banning access for climbers and residents within a three-kilometer radius of the peak, according to the Center for Volcanology and Mitigation of Geological disasters of Indonesia.
Mount Marapi erupted on Sunday, spewing thick columns of ash up to 3,000 meters high. The clouds of hot ash spread over several kilometers.
Nearby villages and towns were covered in tons of volcanic debris that blocked sunlight.
Authorities recommend the use of masks and goggles for protection.
About 1,400 people live on the slopes of Marapi, in the nearest villages of Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang, about five to 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 that surround the Pacific basin.
Source: DN
