The Mount Marapi volcano in Indonesia has morphed adventure with calamity by leaving 23 hikers in the deadly clutches of eruption. Even though more than 50 hikers managed to survive, they have been left with life-long drama that would take them immense time to get back to the flow of regular life. 

24-year-old novice hiker, Tita Cahyani, is one of the lucky survivors who have been evacuated from the mouth of the active giant in the “Ring of Fire”. As the hiker expresses her gratitude for survival, at the same time she vows never to tread the perilous path of hiking ever in her lifetime. were

A story of survival amidst Marapi’s menace

Standing at 2,891 meters, Indonesia’s Marapi volcanoes became one of the deadliest eruptions in history. The natural calamity that perished 23 lives had the third eruption of the year and recalled the memories among the hikers about the catastrophic event in 1979 that claimed the lives of about 60 hikers.

The rescue team had raced against time and all odds to evacuate as many survivors as possible. Among the lucky ones was the hiker who caught herself in a fight for survival as the air got filled with ash and acrid smoke while she tried to make her descent. 

In an interview with Reuters, Cahyani shares his traumatic experience of witnessing death from proximity, “I’m scared and I don’t want to do it again.” The hiker is now admitted to a hospital in Padang Panjang and is being treated for extensive burns.

Escape attempts by the stranded hikers

She was accompanied by her friend Widya Azhamul Fadhilah and both of them had taken refuge behind a rock on the volcanic slope and waited for the rescue team to arrive. As the mountain roared with fury, the hiker duo fought for their life battling hypothermia and struggling for fresh air as the surrounding was engulfed in sulfurous fumes. 

Read More: Rescuers Save Over 50 Hikers After Hiking an Active Volcano Goes Terribly Wrong

Besides Cahyani, another 19-year-old student named Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina, nicknamed Ife who has been part of a hiking group underwent a similar experience. She had sent her mother a video message from the site asking for help from her mother. The hiker’s mother, Rani Radelani informed Daily Mail about her condition, “She is going through a tremendous trauma. She is affected psychologically because she saw her burns, and she also had to endure the pain all night.” The video shows Ife covered in dirt and thick ash on her face, clothes, and hair.

Even though there have been calls since 2011 to limit access to the area within a 3km radius of the summit, hikers risked their lives to witness the thrill by venturing into the perilous zones. Hence the survival stories of hikers like Cahyani and Ife ignite debate about the need to maintain a balance between adventure tourism and prioritization of safety. 

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