Eleven climbers were found dead in Indonesia on Monday and 12 were missing after the Marapi volcano erupted in West Sumatra, a rescue official said, as search operations – which were halted temporarily over safety concerns – resumed.
Three survivors were found on Monday along with the bodies of the 11 climbers, out of 75 who were in the area at the time of Sunday’s eruption, said Jodi Haryawan, spokesperson for the search and rescue team, adding they were all local climbers.
“We have continued to search for the 12 missing climbers until this evening. We have not decided when we are going to stop the operation,” Jodi said in a phone call, adding they would continue evacuating the three survivors and bodies of climbers.
There were 49 climbers evacuated from the area earlier on Monday and many were being treated for burns, Jodi said.
It took around four to six hours to evacuate one dead body from the volcano, Jodi said, adding: “It’s very difficult.”