23 Hikers Presumed Dead After Volcano Erupts

At least 23 hikers are presumed to be dead after a volcano in West Sumatra, Indonesia, erupted on Sunday (December 3). Officials said that there were 75 people hiking around Mount Marapi when it erupted.

The nearly 10,000-foot volcano is one of 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia.

According to the Washington Post, the eruption lasted nearly five minutes and spewed ash 9,800 feet into the air.

Rescue workers managed to evacuate 52 people to shelters in the aftermath of the eruption.

"Some suffered from burns because it was very hot, and they have been taken to the hospital," Rudy Rinaldi, head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency, said via Time. "Those who are injured were the ones who got closer to the crater."

As of Tuesday, crews have recovered 13 bodies and are continuing the search for other ten people who are presumed to have died. However, those efforts have been hampered as Mount Marapi continues to erupt.

"Marapi is still very much active. We can't see the height of the column because it's covered by the cloud," Ahmad Rifandi, the head of a monitoring station at the volcano, said.