As Indonesian Volcano Erupts, 11 Hikers Killed

At least 11 hikers have been found dead when a volcano in western Indonesia erupted, a local rescue official told AFP on Monday. A 3,000-meter-tall ash tower was sent upwards by the eruption of Mount Marapi, a peak on the island of Sumatra that is 2,891 meters (9,484 feet) above sea level.” On the day following the eruption, Abdul Malik, the chief of Padang Search and Rescue Agency, stated, ‘We have located 14 of the 26 persons who have not been evacuated; three of them were found alive, and 11 were found dead. As of Saturday, he added, rescue personnel were attempting to locate 75 hikers who had been on the peak. According to him, 49 people had come down, some of whom had been sent to the hospital, and 12 were still unaccounted for. West Sumatra’s natural resources conservation agency said that rescue teams were working through the night to assist in getting mountaineers down to safety. “Some suffered from burns because it was very hot, and they have been taken to the hospital,” according to him. “Those who are injured were the ones who got closer to the crater.” Authorities in Indonesia have enforced a three-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding Marapi’s crater, and the town is currently on the second warning level of their four-step system. The Indonesian archipelago is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by the collision of continental plates.