AGAM, Indonesia, Dec 4, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Eleven hikers were found dead
Monday and another 12 were missing after a volcano erupted in Indonesia, with
rescuers racing to carry injured and burned survivors down the mountain on
foot.

Rescuers worked through the night to find dozens of hikers stranded on Mount
Marapi on the island of Sumatra after it spewed an ash tower 3,000 metres
(9,340 feet) -- taller than the volcano itself -- into the sky on Sunday.

The dead hikers were found near Marapi's crater after the 2,891-metre volcano
rained ash on nearby villages, according to a local rescue official.

Twelve were missing, three more were found alive and 49 had safely descended
from the crater, some with burns and fractures, the official said.

"Until now I have not received any information," said Dasman, father of
missing hiker Zakir Habibi, who made a two-hour drive from Padang city to the
base of the mountain last night in hope of good news.

"I will stay here until I hear some news," said Dasman, who like many
Indonesians goes by one name.

Neither the three survivors nor the 11 dead bodies had reached the bottom of
the mountain as of Monday afternoon, local rescue agency chief Abdul Malik
told AFP, as heavy rain and poor visibility hampered rescue efforts.

"It slowed the evacuation team", said Malik, adding that about 120 rescuers
were involved in the response.

"The search will be conducted for seven days. Let's pray they all survive,"
he said.

Rescuers had been carrying the survivors down by hand, since an air retrieval
had been deemed impossible with the eruption still ongoing, Malik said.

A video clip shared with AFP showed a rescue worker with a flashlight
strapped to his head piggybacking a hiker, who moans in pain and says "God is
greatest" as she is carried to safety in the darkness.

- 'Tremendous trauma' -

At a centre for information about the missing hikers, family members waited
anxiously for any news, with the view of Marapi blocked by smoke.

Forensic workers were preparing to identify the dead through their dental and
fingerprint records, or based on marks such as birthmarks and tattoos, said
Eka Purnamasari, an official from the West Sumatra police medical unit.

Local rescue agency spokesperson Jodi Haryawan said the rescue efforts had
been broken up by sporadic eruptions but the search was still going despite
the risks.

At least eight survivors had suffered burns, one had burns and a fracture and
another had a head wound, according to a list of those found from Basarnas, a
national search and rescue agency, seen by AFP.

Marapi is on the second alert level of Indonesia's four-step system and
authorities have imposed a three-kilometre (1.9 mile) exclusion zone around
its crater.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the
meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

The Southeast Asian country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

As the search went on for the missing 12 hikers, the family of Zhafirah
Zahrim Febrina told AFP of their relief she was one of the lucky ones.

Good news arrived in the form of a livestream on video app TikTok by a member
of the rescue services on which the 19-year-old could be seen.

Febrina had suffered burns and was visibly shaken, but still her mother Rani
Radelani felt relieved.

"It felt incredible, praise God she has been found," she said.

Febrina is now in a nearby hospital after being trapped on the mountain on a
hiking trip with 18 school friends.

"If she asks me to allow her to climb a mountain, I'll say no," Radelani
said.