A vision of hell: Indonesian volcano erupts and kills at least 11 hikers – with 12 still missing – sending plume of boiling ash 10,000 feet into the sky

• The Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, leaving nearly 75 hikers stranded
• At least 11 climbers have been found dead and 12 are still missing
• The eruption spewed ash as high as 9,843 feet into the air hot ash clouds spread several miles

At least 11 hikes were found dead following the explosion of a volcano in Indonesia – and the search to find 12 others is on hold due to safety concerns.

The Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, leaving nearly 75 climbers trekking up the nearly 2,900-meter mountain stranded, according to AFP.

The eruption spewed ash as high as 9,843 feet into the air. Authorities have raised the alert to the second-highest level and prohibited residents from going within 1.8 miles from the crater’s mouth because of potential lava.

‘There are 26 people who have not been evacuated, we have found 14 of them, three were found alive and 11 were found dead,’ said Abdul Malik, head of Padang Search and Rescue Agency.

There were 49 climbers evacuated from the area earlier and eight of those rescued were rushed to hospitals with burn wounds and one also had a broken limb.

The Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, leaving nearly 75 hikers stranded. There are 26 people who have not been evacuated, 11 of which were found dead and 12 are still missing

Rescue teams evacuate a victim of the eruption of Mount Marapi. Three people found by rescuers were alive

The eruption sent ash plumes nearly 10,000 feet into the air and hot ash clouds spread several miles

‘Some suffered from burns because it was very hot, and they have been taken to the hospital,’ Rudy Rinaldi, head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency said to AFP. ‘Those who are injured were the ones who got closer to the crater.’

The eruption sent ash plumes nearly 10,000 feet into the air and hot ash clouds spread several miles.

Falling ash blanketed several villages and blocked sunlight, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said. 

Authorities distributed masks and urged residents to wear eyeglasses to protect them from volcanic ash, he said.

About 1,400 people live on Marapi’s slopes in Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang, the nearest villages about 3.1 to 3.7 miles from the peak.

Marapi has been active since a January eruption that caused no casualties. It is located on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’

Authorities distributed masks and urged residents to wear eyeglasses to protect them from volcanic ash

Marapi’s alert level was maintained at the third-highest of four levels, Abdul Muhari said, and confirmed that authorities had been closely monitoring the volcano after sensors picked up increasing activity in recent weeks.

Marapi has been active since a January eruption that caused no casualties. It is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which 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.

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