Marapi volcanic eruption death toll reaches 23 with all surviving climbers evacuated
About 75 climbers were making their way up to the top of Indonesia's Marapi volcano at the time of the eruption. Search and rescue teams have found bodies of 23 climbers.
Eruption of Indonesian volcano caught on video
A large volcano on Indonesia’s East Java Province erupted Sunday, sending thousands fleeing and ash into the sky.
JAKARTA, Indonesia – All the surviving climbers on the Marapi volcano have been evacuated by rescuers nearly three days after the explosive eruption in Indonesia killed 23 people.
Marapi began erupting on Sunday while about 75 climbers were near the peak, sending toxic smoke thousands of feet into the air and blanketing surrounding communities in a coating of ash.
On Wednesday, rescue officials told Reuters the death toll had climbed to 23 climbers and all remaining people trapped on the volcano had been evacuated.
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Early Wednesday, West Sumatra rescue agency officials told Reuters that the body of one more climber was found near the crater. Search and rescue teams evacuated 22 bodies from the peak of the volcano on Tuesday.
Several other climbers were located safely, and others were taken to local hospitals to be treated for injuries.
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Watch: Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupts
Thick smoke and ash can be seen coming from Indonesia's Marapi volcano after it erupted on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023.
Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) said the nearly 9,500-foot volcano in West Sumatra began erupting just before 3 p.m. local time on Sunday, with officials saying the volcanic ash raining down on local communities "made the atmosphere in Nagari Lasi very thick and dark."
The BNPB said there had been 75 climbers in the area at the time of the eruption. Of those, 40 were able to descend the volcano safely.
But conditions in the area remain dangerous. BNPB officials said seismographs have recorded 46 eruptions from Marapi since the initial eruption began.
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Disaster response teams were sent to the area after the eruption and immediately began to distribute masks to the community. In addition, officials warned residents not to leave their homes, considering the large amount of volcanic ash that could have an impact on health.
Watch: Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupts, sends ash into surrounding towns
Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday and sent ash into surround communities.
The BNPB said Mount Marapi remains on an Alert Level II, which had been the alert level before Sunday’s eruption because symptoms of volcanic activity had been observed since January.
Officials are recommending residents, tourists and visitors not to carry out activities within a two-mile radius of the volcano’s crater.
More than three days after the eruption, volcanic ash continues to rain down in Agam Regency, West Sumatra Province.
A villager clears volcanic ash from his front yard following the eruption of Mount Marapi, at Lasi village in Agam, West Sumatra, on December 5, 2023. Hundreds of Indonesian rescue personnel were racing December 5 to find a dozen hikers who went missing after a volcano eruption killed 11 people. (Photo by ADI PRIMA / AFP) (Photo by ADI PRIMA/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Anyone who does go outside is also advised to wear a mask, hat and glasses and to clear ash from the roofs of buildings so that they don’t collapse.