Moment burned volcano survivors plead for help after getting caught in deadly eruption that claimed 11 lives and left 12 others missing

• The Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, leaving nearly 75 hikers stranded
• The eruption spewed ash as high as 9,843ft as hot clouds spread several miles

Shocking footage showed burned volcano survivors pleading for help after getting caught in an eruption in Indonesia over the weekend.

Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina, just 19, spoke desperately into her phone. ‘Mum, help Ife,’ she said, referring to herself by a family nickname. ‘This is Ife’s situation right now.’

Febrina is now in a nearby hospital with her father and uncle after being trapped on the mountain on a hiking trip with 18 school friends.

‘She is going through a tremendous trauma,’ said her mother Rani Radelani, 39.

‘She is affected psychologically because she saw her burns, and she also had to endure the pain all night.’

In another video, a woman is pictured with thick ash and dirt in her face, on her clothes and in her hair. She is also heard speaking into her phone, trapped in apocalyptic scenes.

At least 11 hikers were found dead following the eruption of the Marapi volcano in Indonesia – and the search to find 12 others who are missing is on hold due to safety concerns. Nearly 75 climbers trekking up the nearly 2,900-metre mountain have also been stranded, according to AFP.

The eruption shot hot ash as high as 9,843 feet into the air. Authorities have raised the alert to the second-highest level and prohibited residents from going within 1.8 miles from the crater’s mouth because of the possibility of lava.

One lucky survivor was pictured at the base of the volcano following the eruption

Locals shared fearful messages as ash clouds filled the sky in Indonesia over the weekend

Smoke billows following a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, December 4 2023

The Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, leaving nearly 75 hikers stranded. There are 26 people who have not been evacuated, 11 of which were found dead and 12 are still missing

As the search goes on for the missing 12 hikers, Febrina’s family was relieved she was one of the lucky ones.

Good news arrived in the form of a livestream on video app TikTok by a member of the rescue services, in which Radelani saw her visibly shaken daughter.

READ MORE: Moment Saturday night revellers are rocked by 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Philippines: ‘Immediate evacuation’ of 45,000 people on the coast ordered

‘It felt incredible, praise God she has been found,’ Radelani said.

‘If she asks me to allow her to climb a mountain, I’ll say no.’

A total of 49 climbers were evacuated from the area following the eruption. 

Eight of those rescued were rushed to hospitals with burn wounds and one also had a broken limb.

‘There are 26 people who have not been evacuated, we have found 14 of them, three were found alive and 11 were found dead,’ said Abdul Malik, head of Padang Search and Rescue Agency. 

Local rescue agency spokesperson Jodi Haryawan said the rescue efforts had been broken up by sporadic eruptions but the search was still going despite the risks.

‘Once it was safer they continued the search. So the search was not halted,’ he told AFP.

‘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 to AFP. 

‘Those who are injured were the ones who got closer to the crater.’

Falling ash blanketed several villages and blocked sunlight, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said. 

Authorities distributed masks and urged residents to wear eyeglasses to protect them from volcanic ash, he said.

About 1,400 people live on Marapi’s slopes in Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang, the nearest villages about 3.1 to 3.7 miles from the peak. 

Marapi’s alert level was maintained at the third-highest of four levels, Abdul Muhari said.

He confirmed that authorities had been closely monitoring the volcano after sensors picked up increasing activity in recent weeks.

Another woman was shown speaking into her phone as ash covered the ground 

Rescuers talk to a man affected by Monday’s volcano eruption in Marapi, Indonesia 

Rescue teams evacuate a victim of the eruption of Mount Marapi. Three people found by rescuers were alive

The eruption sent ash plumes nearly 10,000 feet into the air and hot ash clouds spread several miles

Marapi has been active since a January eruption that caused no casualties. It is located on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’

Authorities distributed masks and urged residents to wear eyeglasses to protect them from volcanic ash

Marapi has been active since a January eruption that caused no casualties.

It is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

The Southeast Asian country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Only on Saturday, the Philippines was rocked by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake which caused explosions and saw buildings shake under pressure.

Philippines is also located in the ‘Ring of Fire’.

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