The death toll from the eruption of Merapi volcano in western Indonesia has risen to 23

Weather of Arabia - The Indonesian authorities reported that the death toll from the eruption of the Merapi volcano in western Indonesia had risen to 23 people. A spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency announced that after completing search and rescue operations, the authorities decided to end search operations on Mount Marape, where all the victims were found.

The volcano began erupting last Sunday, releasing a column of ash reaching a height of 3,000 metres. This event led to the evacuation of a large number of hikers who were in the area surrounding the volcano. A restricted zone has been imposed around the crater on the island of Sumatra, where the volcano reaches a height of 2,891 metres.

It is noteworthy that the last major eruption of Merapi volcano was in 2010, killing more than 300 people and evacuating about 280,000 people. Indonesia lies within the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where the meeting of continental plates causes intense seismic and volcanic activity.