On Sunday, Indonesia’s Mount Marapi, located in West Sumatra province, erupted, releasing white-and-gray ash plumes that reached more than 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) into the sky. Hot ash clouds were propelled several miles away from the volcano.
Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of casualties, according to Ahmad Rifandi, an official from Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center at the Marapi monitoring post. In response to the eruption, the two climbing routes were closed, and residents living on the mountain’s slopes were advised to stay approximately 1.8 miles away from the crater due to potential lava flow.
The eruption affected about 70 climbers who had started their ascent of the nearly 9,480-foot mountain on Saturday. As a result, some became stranded. Dian Indriati, the acting head of North Sumatra’s conservation agency, reported that 28 climbers have been successfully evacuated so far, with the remaining individuals awaiting rescue.
A video circulating on social media depicts the climbers being evacuated to a shelter, their faces and hair covered in volcanic dust and rain. located in West Sumatra
Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, mentioned that several villages experienced a blanket of falling ash, leading to obscured sunlight in many areas. To address the situation, authorities distributed masks and advised residents to wear eyeglasses to shield themselves from the volcanic ash. The proactive measures were taken to mitigate the impact of the ashfall on the affected communities.