Indonesia: At least 22 dead following the eruption of Mount Marapi volcano

The death toll from the eruption of the Mount Marapi volcano in Indonesia rose to 22 on Tuesday, after the discovery of nine others on the mountain, as an official from the rescue team indicated in recent hours. "Nine of the ten missing victims were found dead and are being evacuated. We are still searching for one victim," Abdul Malik, director of rescue operations in the town of Padang, told AFP.

The figure is an increase from Monday's toll, when at least 11 people were reported dead, with 12 others missing after the eruption.

At the time of the eruption on Sunday, there were 75 hikers, of whom 26 could not be evacuated in time, said Abdul Malik, head of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency. "We have found 14 people, three were found alive and 11 were found dead," Malik added. Therefore, 12 hikers were still missing and among the 49 who were able to descend the mountain in time, some are hospitalized.

Mount Marapi, whose name means "the mountain of fire," is the most active volcano on the island of Sumatra and is 2,891 meters high. It erupted on Sunday afternoon, sending up a column of ash two miles high. The eruption, which is still ongoing, prevents helicopter evacuations, slowing down rescue efforts.

Authorities have imposed a 2-mile exclusion zone around the volcano's crater as the ash fall has already reached the town of Bukittinggi.

Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates come together to generate significant volcanic and seismic activity. The country has almost 130 active volcanoes.