After eruption of Indonesia’s Marapi, tourism sector faces safety questions
Al Jazeera
Local tour guide says hikers should never have been allowed on famous peak in West Sumatra.
Medan, Indonesia – According to local ranger Ajo, no one should have been trekking on Mount Marapi, one of Indonesia’s most famous volcanoes located in West Sumatra, on December 3, 2023.
For almost a year, the 25-year-old guide, who had led tours on the mountain from 2020 to 2022, had been warning authorities about the increased volcanic activity at the peak, and his fears that climbers would die if the active volcano erupted.
Unfortunately, his prediction about the volatility of Mount Marapi proved to be correct.
About 75 hikers were on the mountain when it erupted earlier this month, sending a 2,000-foot-high (600-metre) ash plume into the sky.
At least 24 people were killed, the majority of them succumbing to serious burns.
