DISASTERS
Death toll from Indonesia’s Marapi eruption rises
December 5, 2023 - Rescuers searching the slopes of an Indonesian volcano found more bodies among the climbers caught by a surprise eruption on Sunday, raising the apparent death toll to 23.
More than 50 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption, and 11 others were initially confirmed dead. New eruptions on Monday and Tuesday spewed more hot ash as high as 800m into the air, reducing visibility and temporarily halting search and recovery operationsy.
The bodies of two climbers were located on Monday and nine more on Tuesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said.
One climber remained missing and was presumed dead because of being very close to the eruption site.