At least 23 people have been presumed dead after Indonesia's Mount Marapi erupted this week.
Initial reports saw the death toll to 11 after the initial eruption on Sunday (December 3), while 50 others were rescued. All of those found in the volcano were climbers.
Meanwhile, rescuers said on Tuesday (December 5) that more bodies were found on the volcano's slopes after they were prevented from rescuing or recovering people by another eruption the day prior (Monday, December 4).
Sumatra province's deputy police chief Edi Mardianto was quoted by The National saying that the latest five bodies recovered from the volcano were found just meters away from the eruption site, while 18 were presumed to be dead because they were close to the hot gasses and ash.
"The rest we want to evacuate are 18 and we expect they are no longer alive," he said. "The team will evacuate and take them to the hospital tomorrow or today to be identified."
In addition to volcanic by-products, rescuers were also contending with bad weather and terrain constraints, as well as winds bringing heat from the eruption.
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Locals Urged to Take Precautions
Marapi is one of many active volcanoes in the Indonesian archipelago. It also shares the name with Mount Merapi on the island of Java, where the current capital, Jakarta, is located.
The translation of both volcanoes means "mountain of fire."
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said that the volcano was at the third highest of four alert levels since 2011, indicating above-normal volcanic activity and preventing climbers and villagers from getting within 3 kilometers of the peak.
Sunday's eruption covered villages and towns near the volcano with tons of volcanic debris and ash that blocked sunlight. Authorities have also advised people to wear masks and goggles to protect themselves from the ash.
About 1,400 people live on Merapi's slopes in the towns of Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang, with the nearest villages about 5km from the peak.
