Current:Home > MarketsIndonesia ends search for victims of eruption at Mount Marapi volcano that killed 23 climbers -DataFinance
Indonesia ends search for victims of eruption at Mount Marapi volcano that killed 23 climbers
View
Date:2025-04-13 15:07:23
BATU PALANO, Indonesia (AP) — The seacrh has ended for any more victims among climbers who were caught by a weekend eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano that killed 23 people and injured several others, officials said Thursday.
About 75 climbers started up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain in Agam district of West Sumatra province on Saturday and were on the volcano when it erupted the following day.
West Sumatra Police Chief Suharyono said earlier that the discovery of the body of a female university student Wednesday had raised the confirmed death toll to 23. Officials said Thursday that they believed all the dead had been recovered.
After an evaluation of the search and rescue results, “authorities have ended the search and rescue operation in Mount Marapi as all the victims have been found by late Wednesday,” said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson.
The National Search and Rescue Agency said all the bodies had been taken to a hospital by late Wednesday for identification.
Some 52 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption Sunday, with about a dozen taken to hospitals with serious to minor injuries.
Marapi shot thick columns of ash as high as 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) in Sunday’s eruption and hot ash clouds spread for several kilometers (miles). Nearby villages and towns were blanketed by volcanic debris that blocked sunlight, and authorities recommended people wear masks as protection against the ash.
Smaller eruptions since then spewed more ash into the air, reducing visibility and temporarily halting search and recovery operations.
Marapi is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict because they are not caused by a deep movement of magma, which sets off tremors that register on seismic monitors.
The volcano has been at Indonesia’s second highest alert level since 2011, indicating above-normal volcanic activity under which climbers and villagers must stay more than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the peak, according to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.
Climbers were not supposed to advance into the danger zone, but local officials acknowledged that many people may have climbed higher than permitted.
Marapi, which had an eruption in January that caused no casualties, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The country is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
___
Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
veryGood! (8475)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- We asked, you answered: More global buzzwords for 2023, from precariat to solastalgia
- West Virginia Said to Be Considering a Geothermal Energy Future
- Cormac McCarthy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Road and No Country for Old Men, dies at 89
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Ariana Madix Reveals the Shocking First Time She Learned Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Had Sex
- We asked, you answered: More global buzzwords for 2023, from precariat to solastalgia
- First U.S. Offshore Wind Turbine Factory Opens in Virginia, But Has No Customers Yet
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Justin Long and Kate Bosworth Are Married One Month After Announcing Engagement
Ranking
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Facebook whistleblower Francis Haugen: No accountability for privacy features implemented to protect young people
- New Apps for Solar Installers Providing Competitive Edge
- Dakota Access Protest ‘Felt Like Low-Grade War,’ Says Medic Treating Injuries
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Michael Bloomberg on Climate Change: Where the Candidate Stands
- The Period Talk (For Adults)
- 24-Hour Flash Deal: Save 42% On This Attachment That Turns Your KitchenAid Mixer Into an Ice Cream Maker
Recommendation
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
FDA expands frozen strawberries recall over possible hepatitis A contamination
Government Shutdown Raises Fears of Scientific Data Loss, Climate Research Delays
Keith Urban Accidentally Films Phoebe Bridgers and Bo Burnham Kissing at Taylor Swift's Concert
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
Trump’s EPA Pick: A Climate Denialist With Disdain for the Agency He’ll Helm
Scant obesity training in medical school leaves docs ill-prepared to help patients
Why Olivia Wilde Wore a White Wedding Dress to Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown's Nuptials