Nine more bodies found, bringing death toll from Marapi's eruption to 22

AGAM, Indonesia The death toll from a volcano eruption in Indonesia has risen to 22 after nine more bodies were discovered, a search and rescue agency official said on Dec 5.

Mount Marapi on the island of Sumatra spewed an ash tower 3,000m taller than the volcano itself into the sky on Dec 3.

Hundreds of rescuers have worked for days to find the missing hikers, which numbered 10 on Dec 5 before the local rescue agency's announcement that most had been found, bringing the days-long search closer to an end.

"Nine of 10 missing victims were found dead this afternoon and at the moment, they are being evacuated. There is one remaining victim currently in search," Mr Abdul Malik, head of Padang Search and Rescue Agency, told AFP.

The dead were carried down the mountain in body bags over several days, rescue officials said.

Images shared by Basarnas, the National Search and Rescue Agency, showed a rescue team of six in orange jackets and hard hats carrying a body down the side of the volcano on Dec 5.

Some of the 75 hikers on the mountain during the eruption were found alive and carried down, with many of them suffering burns and fractures.