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About 200 rescuers will resume search operations on Wednesday
for one further missing climber.
The 2,891-metre high volcano in West Sumatra erupted on Sunday,
spewing gray clouds of ash as high as 3 kilometres (1.9 miles)
into the sky.
"We are now evacuating the dead bodies from the peak of the
volcano," said the head of the search and rescue team, Abdul
Malik.
Marapi is one of the most active volcanoes on Sumatra island and
last erupted in January and February this year.
Since 2011, Indonesia's volcanology agency has urged a local
conservation agency and the environment ministry in monthly
letters to close an area within 3 kilometres' radius of the
summit to climbers, agency head Hendra Gunawan told Reuters.
Still, there were 75 climbers on the volcano when it erupted,
rescuers said.
Ahmad Basuki, another official at the volcanology agency, said
the body could only issue safety warnings, and that it was up to
the environment ministry and local authorities to enforce them.
The environment ministry did not immediately respond to
questions from Reuters.
The conservation agency, which is under the ministry, said
permits to climb were given after getting the green light from
several local agencies, including the West Sumatra provincial
government and national disaster agency, as well the Padang
search and rescue agency.
The search and rescue agency declined to comment. The national
disaster agency did not immediately respond to a request for
comment. West Sumatra's provincial government was not
immediately reachable for comment.
Sunday's eruption of Mt. Marapi was the deadliest since 1979,
when an eruption killed 60 people.
The volcano's eruptions have been relatively infrequent over the
past decade, making it challenging to analyse, said Ahmad of the
volcanology agency.
"Because we cannot record any seismic activity, the volcano
gives no clear sign if it is going to erupt," he said. "The
character of this volcano is dangerous."
Indonesia, which straddles the so-called "Ring of Fire", is home
to more than 100 active volcanoes.
(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Writing by Kate Lamb and Gayatri
Suroyo; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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