At least 11 hikers were killed on December 4 and 12 others were missing after a volcano erupted in Indonesia, as rescuers raced to carry injured and burned survivors down the mountain on foot.
Rescuers worked through the night of December 4 to search for dozens of hikers trapped on Mount Marapi on Sumatra island after the mountain spewed ash 3,000m high, higher than the volcano itself.
Bodies of hikers were found near the crater of Marapi volcano after the 2,891-meter-high volcano rained ash on nearby villages, a local rescue official said, according to CNA. The official also said 12 people were missing, three more were found alive and 49 people had safely descended from the crater, some with burns and broken bones.
Rescuers took turns carrying them down on stretchers. Authorities were unable to conduct a helicopter search because the eruption was still ongoing.
One of the rescued hikers, Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina, was seen in a video message from the volcano desperately calling for help from her mother. The 19-year-old student was in shock, her face burned and her hair covered in volcanic ash. She is currently in a nearby hospital with her father and uncle after becoming trapped on the mountain during a hiking trip with 18 school friends.
Local rescue agency spokesman Jodi Haryawan said rescue efforts had been disrupted by sporadic eruptions but the search continued despite the risks.
Marapi is at the second alert level on Indonesia's four-level alert system and authorities have imposed a 3km exclusion zone around the crater.
HUY QUOC
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