On Thursday (Dec 7), Indonesia authorities announced the conclusion of a search and rescue mission related to a volcano eruption over the weekend that claimed the lives of 23 individuals. Mount Marapi, situated on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia’s west, expelled an ash tower reaching 3,000m into the sky on Sunday while 75 people were hiking in the vicinity.
Despite facing challenges from subsequent eruptions and unfavorable weather conditions, which at times forced workers to seek shelter, rescuers successfully saved scores of people.The arduous rescue effort, which lasted several days, came to an end on Wednesday evening with the discovery of the final victim.
Officials expressed confidence that all missing individuals in Indonesia volcano eruption had been located and either evacuated alive or confirmed deceased. Initial concerns alleviated as some hikers might have taken unofficial routes, leading to unaccounted-for individuals.
An official from the Agam disaster mitigation agency, Ichwan Pratama, stated, “We have found all victims, and the last victim was found dead.” Therefore, following an evaluation, Basarnas is closing the search and rescue operation. He added that an emergency post would remain active in case families were still searching for their relatives.
“Return to their respective units.”
On Wednesday evening, West Sumatra police deputy chief Edi Mardianto announced that all rescuers would “return to their respective units.”
The head of Indonesia’s volcanology agency, Hendra Gunawan, pointed out that Mount Marapi has been under the second level of a four-tier alert system since 2011, and authorities have enforced a 3km exclusion zone around its crater. Blaming hikers for venturing too close to the crater after the eruption, Gunawan mentioned that the agency had recommended no activity in that specific area.
Indonesia, being located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, frequently experiences seismic and volcanic activity. Mount Marapi stands out as the most active volcano on Sumatra, one of the nearly 130 active volcanoes in the Indonesian archipelago.