Mount Marapi Erupsi, Paksa Climbing Line 24 Officers Down 30 Climbers

The team from the BKSDA, Basarnas and local Youth forced the climbers of Mount Marapi to experience an eruption (Between/HO-BKSDA)

The sweeper team forced the climbers who were still camping on Mount Marapi. The mountain in Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra (West Sumatra) erupted since Saturday 7 January.

Head of the West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) Ardi Andono said a team from BKSDA, Basarnas and youths around Mount Marapi conducted a sweep. At least 30 climbers have come down from Mount Marapi.

"The team forced other climbers who still insisted on staying at Mount Marapi, until this morning there have been 30 people who have dropped and four others on their way down," said Ardi in Padang, West Sumatra, Sunday, January 8, as reported by Antara.

He said the efforts made by his team were to anticipate and reduce the risk of the threat of the eruption of Mount Marapi.

Since the night after the eruption, Ardi said the sweeper team had deliberately climbed onto Mount Marapi looking for and forced climbers who were still camping to get down immediately.

"Currently, the sweeping team is above, the number of officers standing by at post 10 from Basarnas and five from BKSDA," he said.

Ardi said, there were 40 registered climbers who climbed Mount Marapi before the eruption occurred, but he could not confirm the possibility of illegal climbers in Marapi.

"What we calculate is of course climbers who officially go up and register, for the illegal we can't record yet," he said.

Mount Marapi erupted on Saturday, January 7 since 06.11 WIB, residents around this active mountain have been asked to be vigilant and all climbing activities are temporarily prohibited.

Currently, Mount Marapi is at Level II or Alert Status, the Mount Marapi Observation Post in Bukittinggi is still recording a small-scale eruption.