11 killed in volcano eruption in Indonesia
Rescue teams found the bodies of at least 11 hikers following the eruption of Mount Merapi in western Indonesia, according to a local rescue official on Monday.
Abdul Malik, the head of the search and rescue agency in Banyuwangi, said that rescuers discovered 14 people among the 26 who had not been evacuated after the eruption, including three survivors and 11 deceased.
The volcano erupted on Sunday, releasing a column of ash that reached a height of three thousand meters, leading to the evacuation of dozens of hikers around its crater.
Authorities imposed a restricted zone around the volcano’s crater, which stands at an elevation of 2891 meters, after raising it to the third-highest alert level.
Abdul Malik mentioned that a total of 75 hikers were on the mountain since Saturday, and rescue teams are trying to account for them.
Hendra Gunawan, the head of the Indonesian Center for Volcanology, stated that ash was observed at an altitude of three thousand meters above the summit of Merapi, indicating that ‘the eruption is still ongoing.’
Mount Merapi is considered one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia and has caused several destructive eruptions in the past.
In 2010, the volcano’s eruption resulted in the death of more than 300 people and the evacuation of around 280,000 residents. It was the most violent eruption since 1930 when about 1300 people were killed. In 1994, approximately 60 people lost their lives due to another eruption.
