Inp.polri.go.id - Bukittinggi.  In the wake of the eruption of Mount Marapi, the West Sumatra Regional Police considered a thorough investigation and evaluation of those responsible for issuing climbing permits for the volcano, which has been banned since 2011. Until Tuesday (5/12/2023), 23 people, most of whom were climbers, died when Mount Marapi erupted.  As many as 16 of them have been identified by the West Sumatra Police Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team. Inspector General Suharyono, the Chief of the West Sumatra Regional Police, said that warnings had been issued against climbing the volcano, which has been known to be active since 2011, antaranews.com reported. "Since 2011, there has been a warning not to climb this still-active volcano," he said. Based on data from the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre (PVMBG) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Marapi has been at level II alert since 3 August 2011. One of the PVMBG's recommendations is that residents around Mount Marapi, as well as visitors/tourists, should not engage in any activities or approach within a three-kilometre radius of the crater/summit. The police chief asserted that climbers entering through official posts must follow the mechanisms or Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) set by the managers or permit issuers. "Those who go through these posts get permits. Now, if the permit issuers still allow it, we will evaluate it," he said. At present, the West Sumatra Police  still focused on the search and rescue mission, as well as the identification of victims of the Mount Marapi eruption on Sunday. (mg/inp/pr/nm)