9 out of the 10 hikers were found dead on Mount Marapi, as rescuers scurried to track down almost 75 hikers. The death toll rises to 12 since the beginning of the search with the Indonesian volcano erupting uncontrollably since Sunday 4 December.
Indonesian rescuers said that they have been taking advantage of the windows of calm in seismic activity but Mount Marapi has recorded five more eruptions on Tuesday alone. The height of the volcano’s column is still covered in smoke and the air burns as ash seeps down and around the 3km radius.
The volcano spewed a mega ash cloud into the air on Sunday, shrouding the north western sumatran village. There were 75 hikers in the area during the eruption, most of whom have been evacuated and received treatments for their burns, but one more person remains as missing since Sunday.
“Mountain of Fire”, as the locals call it, Mount Marapi is among the most active of Indonesia’s 127 volcanoes. The deadliest eruption was recorded in 1979 when 60 people were reported dead. The cause of all the volcanic activity in the area, correlates to Indonesia geographical location. Indonesia’s Archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the continental plates meet, causing heavy seismic activity.
