JAKARTA, Dec 6 — The death toll from the Mount Marapi volcanic eruption in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province has risen to 23, all of them hikers, police said today, as ash and smoke blanketed parts of the region.
The German News Agency (dpa) reported that the hikers were among 75 people registered to climb Marapi when the volcano suddenly erupted on Sunday (December 3) afternoon, spewing hot gas and rocks into the air.
The West Sumatra police chief Suharyono said 52 hikers had been rescued from the popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
A joint team of 300 personnel from various agencies was still searching for people who might have climbed the mountain but did not register.
“Here is an update: From the 75 hikers that were recorded, 52 have been successfully rescued, although some have minor injuries, serious injuries and so on. And 23 have been declared dead,” Suharyono said at a news conference.
The 23 victims were those whose whereabouts were known, and the death toll could rise as the search and rescue operation continued.
Mount Marapi, which is not to be confused with the similarly named Mount Merapi in Central Java, is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia.
The Indonesian archipelago lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic activity that circles the Pacific Ocean.
Before Sunday, the volcano’s last major eruption was in 2018. Its deadliest eruption occurred in 1979 when over 60 people were killed.
— Bernama
