Indonesian rescuers discovered the bodies of 11 hikers following the Mount Merapi volcano eruption in West Sumatra, news agency AFP reported citing officials.
Three survivors were found on the volcano, while 12 climbers remain missing. The eruption on Mount Marapi in western Indonesia on Sunday forced the evacuation of numerous hikers and locals who lived on the slope of the mountain. The volcano, which emitted a three-kilometre ash column upon eruption, is on the third-highest alert level, prompting authorities to establish an exclusion zone around its crater.
Abdul Malik, head of Padang Search and Rescue Agency told AFP that there were a total of 75 hikers on the mountain from Saturday.
“There are 26 people who have not been evacuated, we have found 14 of them, three were found alive and 11 were found dead,” Malik detailed.
Rudy Rinaldi, head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency, stated that some rescued hikers were receiving medical treatment, particularly for burns sustained due to the intense heat.
Mount Merapi, at 2,891 metres, is called the Fire Mountain in Indonesia and Java. Located on the border between the Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, it is considered the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548.
The Indonesian archipelago, situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences heightened volcanic and seismic activity due to the convergence of continental plates.