Jambi (ANTARA) - The Jambi Office of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said on Monday that it had dispatched 17 personnel to help rescuers in Agam, West Sumatra, locate 12 hikers who went missing after Mount Marapi erupted on Sunday.
"I have coordinated with the Basarnas-Padang Office regarding the dispatch of our personnel for this search mission," head of the Basarnas-Jambi Office, Kornelis, said in Jambi on Monday.
They left with rescue and evacuation gear, as well as personal protective and medical equipment, to support their search and rescue mission alongside the joint team of rescuers in Agam, he added.
Seventy-five hikers were reportedly trapped on Mount Marapi after it erupted on Sunday. As of Monday, the number of hikers who survived the eruption was recorded at 52, and the reported number of casualties was 11.
The bodies of the dead hikers were evacuated, while 12 others remained missing, Kornelis informed.
Located between the administrative areas of Agam and Tanah Datar districts in West Sumatra province, Mount Marapi is classified as one of the most active volcanoes on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Before Mt. Marapi's latest eruption, residents of Karo district in North Sumatra province had repeatedly reported eruptions at Mount Sinabung since 2013.
Following Mt. Sinabung's eruption on November 12, 2013, a total of 5,962 people living near the volcano's foothills, most of whom were farmers, were evacuated to safer areas.
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