In Indonesia, deaths of 23 hikers at Mount Marapi spark accusations of negligence
- The presence of hikers at Marapi, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, reveals local authorities had defied a years-long ban on visitors to the peak
- Local police are investigating if West Sumatra officials had made ‘procedural missteps’ in allowing people to visit the site
In 2011, Indonesia’s national disaster agency had barred people from going within 3km of the mountain’s peak after detecting increased activity at Marapi, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.
Yet, some 75 hikers and visitors were at the volcano when it erupted on December 3, spewing molten rocks and ash.
Sri Wahyuni, a 21-year-old university student from Riau, was among 52 people who escaped with their lives that day.
She and eight others were trekking down Marapi just before 3pm when they heard a massive explosion, followed by tremulous shaking of the ground beneath them.
“We’d been on top of the mountain in the morning. Luckily, we decided to head down back to camp after 12pm, so we were further down when the eruption occurred,” Sri said.
Stunned and confused, they leapt into action after rock fragments and ash started to rain down on them, accompanied by suffocating sulphurous fumes.
