11 hikers dead after Indonesia volcano erupts, 12 still missing

PADANG – Eleven hikers were found dead on Dec 4 and another 12 were missing after a volcano erupted in Indonesia, with rescuers racing to carry injured and burnt survivors down the mountain on foot.

Rescuers worked through the night to find dozens of hikers stranded on Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra after it spewed an ash tower as high as 3,000m – taller than the volcano itself – into the sky on Dec 3.

The dead hikers were found near Marapi’s crater after the 2,891m volcano rained ash on nearby villages, according to a local rescue official.

Twelve people were missing, three more were found alive, and 49 had safely descended from the crater, some with burns and fractures, the official said.

“Until now, I have not received any information,” said Mr Dasman, father of missing hiker Zakir Habibi.

“I will stay here until I hear some news,” he said, having made a two-hour drive from Padang city to the base of the mountain on Dec 3 in hope of good news.

Neither the three survivors nor the 11 dead bodies had reached the bottom of the mountain as at the afternoon of Dec 4, local rescue agency chief Abdul Malik said, as heavy rain and poor visibility hampered rescue efforts.

“It slowed the evacuation team,” he said, adding that about 120 rescuers were involved in the response.

“The search will be conducted for seven days. Let’s pray they all survive.”

Rescuers had been carrying the survivors down by hand as air retrieval had been deemed impossible with the eruption still ongoing, Mr Malik said.

A video clip shared with AFP showed a rescue worker with a flashlight strapped to his head piggybacking a hiker, who moaned in pain and said “God is greatest” as she was carried to safety in the darkness.

‘Tremendous trauma’

At a centre for information about the missing hikers, family members waited anxiously for any news, with the view of Marapi blocked by smoke.

Forensic workers were preparing to identify the dead through their dental and fingerprint records, or based on marks such as birthmarks and tattoos, said Ms Eka Purnamasari, an official from the West Sumatra police medical unit.

Local rescue agency spokesman Jodi Haryawan said the rescue efforts had been broken up by sporadic eruptions, but the search was still going on despite the risks.

It took around four to six hours to evacuate one dead body from the volcano, he said, adding: “It is very difficult.”

At least eight survivors had suffered burns, one had burns and a fracture, and another had a head wound, according to a list of those found from Basarnas, the national search and rescue agency.

Mr Rudy Rinaldi, head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency, said some of the rescued hikers had burns.

“Those who are injured were the ones who got closer to the crater,” he said.

Marapi is on the second alert level of Indonesia’s four-step system, and the authorities have imposed a 3km exclusion zone around its crater.

A small eruption on Dec 4 prompted the search to be suspended for a few hours.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

The South-east Asian country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

As the search went on for the 12 missing hikers, the family of Ms Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina expressed relief that she was one of the lucky ones.

Good news arrived in the form of a live stream on video-sharing app TikTok by a member of the rescue services on which the 19-year-old could be seen.

Ms Febrina had burns and was visibly shaken, but her mother, Ms Rani Radelani, 39, felt relieved.

“It felt incredible, praise God she has been found,” she said.

Ms Febrina is now in a nearby hospital after being trapped on the mountain while on a hiking trip with 18 school friends.

“She is going through tremendous trauma,” said Ms Radelani.

“She is affected psychologically because she saw her burns, and she also had to endure the pain all night.

“If she asks me to allow her to climb a mountain, I will say no.” AFP