A vision of hell: Indonesian volcano erupts and kills at least 11 hikers - with 12 still missing - sending plume of boiling ash 10,000 feet into the sky

At least 11 hikes were found dead following the explosion of a volcano in Indonesia - and the search to find 12 others is on hold due to safety concerns.

The Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, leaving nearly 75 climbers trekking up the nearly 2,900-meter mountain stranded, according to AFP.

The eruption spewed ash as high as 9,843 feet into the air. Authorities have raised the alert to the second-highest level and prohibited residents from going within 1.8 miles from the crater's mouth because of potential lava.

'There are 26 people who have not been evacuated, we have found 14 of them, three were found alive and 11 were found dead,' said Abdul Malik, head of Padang Search and Rescue Agency.

There were 49 climbers evacuated from the area earlier and eight of those rescued were rushed to hospitals with burn wounds and one also had a broken limb.

The eruption sent ash plumes nearly 10,000 feet into the air and hot ash clouds spread several miles.

Falling ash blanketed several villages and blocked sunlight, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said. 

Authorities distributed masks and urged residents to wear eyeglasses to protect them from volcanic ash, he said.

About 1,400 people live on Marapi's slopes in Rubai and Gobah Cumantiang, the nearest villages about 5 to 6 kilometers (3.1 to 3.7 miles) from the peak.

Marapi's alert level was maintained at the third-highest of four levels, Abdul Muhari said, and confirmed that authorities had been closely monitoring the volcano after sensors picked up increasing activity in recent weeks.

Marapi has been active since a January eruption that caused no casualties. It is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire,' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.