Mount Marapi climber’s selfless act amid tragic rescue mission

WEST SUMATRA, INDONESIA: The eruption of Mount Marapi on Sunday (3 December) leaves many sad but inspiring stories, such as the story of the kindness of a mountain climber named Muhammad Adan.

On 3 December, Mount Marapi spewed volcanic ash up to a height of 3000 meters.

At the time of the incident, 75 individuals were climbing the mountain in Agam Regency, West Sumatra, which held a Level II or alert status.

Unfortunately, 23 of those climbers lost their lives during the eruption.

Adan, a 21-year-old man, became one of the eruption’s victims, and the details of his final moments were unveiled through WhatsApp conversation screenshots.

These screenshots were shared by an Instagram account, @mood.jakarta, and the story quickly spread across social media in Indonesia.

When the incident occurred, Adan apparently had time to inform his mother and explain his dire condition.

At the time, Adan said that he was severely thirsty, further compounded by both legs being broken—one more than the other.

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“Bu, Adan got into an accident. I am very thirsty. My leg got severed and the other one is broken. I can’t walk, bu,” said Adan to his mother.

This conversation shows how severe Adan’s condition was at the time of the incident.

Adan was the first victim found by the SAR team when evacuating victims.

Even with the severity of his condition, Adan urged the rescuers, about to evacuate him, to prioritize saving a woman nearby, saying, “Sir, please, save the woman first. Bring her down now. It’s ok. I can wait. I can still hold on.”

The journey to reach Adan’s location is known to take approximately 4 hours for a single trip. When the SAR team ascended again to rescue Adan, he was found to have passed away.

The woman Adan prioritized for rescue was identified as either Zafira or Ive.

Information indicates that Adan and Zafira initially did not know each other because they were not in the same hiking group. Despite their unfamiliarity, Adan willingly yielded his chance to be saved to Zafira.

Netizens were moved by this tale of sacrifice and expressed their heartfelt wishes for Adan in the comments section.

@soraibiru wrote, “Let us join in prayer for Adan to find a blessed place by His side. Aamiin.”

@htgl.dya wrote, “This teaches us that sacrifice can be extended to anyone without having to know each other.”

One West Sumatra resident expressed astonishment, noting the absence of a government announcement regarding Mount Marapi being on alert status.

He wrote, “As a West Sumatran, I was surprised to discover that Mount Marapi has been on alert since 2011.”

After the incident, Hendra Gunawan, the Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), raised suspicions of negligence in the authorization process for granting climbing permits on Mount Marapi.

Given the heightened alert status, PVMBG strongly recommended a prohibition on accessing the crater within a 3-kilometer radius.