JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia’s Marapi volcano in the West Sumatra province erupted on Sunday, sending a thick plume of toxic ash and smoke nearly 10,000 feet into the air and was accompanied by a deafening roar that could be heard for miles, according to the country’s disaster management agency.
The Associated Press reported that about 75 climbers were making their way up to the top of the volcano at the time of the eruption.
Eleven climbers were found dead following the eruption as search and rescue operations to find an additional 12 missing were temporarily suspended over safety concerns, per Reuters.
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Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) said in a news release that the nearly 9,500-foot volcano began erupting just before 3 p.m. local time Sunday, and volcanic ash rain from the eruption was reported to have occurred in the Nagari Lasi area of the Canduang District in West Sumatra’s Agam Regency.
The BNPB said that the volcanic ash rain fell with such intensity that it “made the atmosphere in Nagari Lasi very thick and dark.”
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Disaster response teams were sent to the area and immediately began to distribute masks to the community. In addition, officials warned residents not to leave their homes considering the large amount of volcanic ash rain that could have an impact on health.
The BNPB said Mount Marapi remains on an Alert Level II, which had been the alert level before Sunday’s eruption because symptoms of volcanic activity had been observed since January.
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Officials are recommending residents, tourists and visitors not to carry out activities within a two-mile radius of the volcano’s crater.
Anyone who does go outside is also advised to wear a mask and to clear ash from the roofs of buildings so that they don’t collapse.