Indonesia:Volcanic eruption death toll rises to 13

Local authorities said that 52 out of the 75 climbers who were on the mountain during the eruption were safely evacuated by the rescue teams. So far, five bodies have been recovered and eight more are being retrieved.

The search teams shared images and videos of the scene, showing the rescuers wearing orange clothes and masks, walking on the slopes covered with gray ash and smoke or steam coming from the top of the volcano.

The volcano, known as the “Mountain of Fire,” erupted at about 2:54 pm local time (07:54 GMT) on Sunday, according to Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation. The eruption sent a huge column of ash into the sky, which rained down on the nearby towns. Some residents captured the incident on camera and posted the videos on social media.

The volcano, which is the most active one on Sumatra Island, has a height of 2,891 meters. Indonesia has more than 400 volcanoes, of which 129 are active and 65 are considered dangerous. The country is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area with frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Indonesia experiences about 7,000 earthquakes every year, mostly of minor magnitudes.