Death toll from volcanic eruption rises to 23

The number of climbers who lost their lives due to the eruptions that have been occurring at Mount Marapi in western Sumatra, Indonesia, since December 3 has risen to 23.

According to the BBC, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency announced that the body of the last missing climber was recovered today.

Abdul Malik, head of the West Sumatra Search and Rescue Office, stated that they are currently in the process of evacuating the body.

The death toll from the eruptions and volcanic activity that have occurred since December 3 has risen to 23 with the discovery of the last missing climber's body.

Search and rescue operations for the missing climbers had been suspended due to safety concerns but were resumed yesterday.

The country's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation reported on December 3 that Mount Marapi had spewed ash to a height of approximately 3 kilometers and that hot ash clouds were moving north.

It was stated that authorities had been "closely monitoring" Mount Marapi, which has been active since January, due to increased activity.

Hari Agustian, an official from the local Search and Rescue Office in the provincial capital of Padang, had previously announced that 52 of the approximately 75 climbers who began climbing the mountain on December 2 had been rescued, and that 8 of them were hospitalized due to burns sustained from the eruptions.

Indonesia, located on the "Pacific Ring of Fire" earthquake and volcano belt, is home to 130 active volcanoes.

News Source: AA