Mount Dukono Volcano Erupts, Killing Three Hikers

Indonesia. Three hikers have died in an eruption of Indonesia's Mount Dukono volcano on Friday. It is reported that two of the deceased were citizens of Singapore and one was local.

Officials said their bodies were found in the "no-go zone". The eruption on Halmahera Island has affected the air with ash and smoke for approximately 10 kilometers around, they said.

Northern Halmahera Police Chief Erliks Pasaryibu told reporters that twenty mountaineers were at the location when the eruption occurred. He mentioned that 9 of them were from Singapore and the rest were from Indonesia.

According to the head of the local rescue agency, Ivan Ramdani, seven of the seventeen mountaineers who were missing at the time of the eruption have been found alive as of Friday. The bodies of the deceased are still at the scene. Due to the ongoing eruption, and as the situation remains unsafe, rescue teams are still waiting for the right time to begin their search operations, he said.

Some mountaineers sustained injuries due to the eruption and have been taken to the hospital for treatment. Earlier, since December 2024, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) had warned tourists and mountaineers not to come within four kilometers of the Malupang Warirang crater of the volcano, citing increased seismic activity.

Head of the government's geology department, Lana Saria, said that after Friday's eruption, there was a loud noise and ash and thick smoke rose 10 kilometers above Mount Dukono's summit.

The statement mentioned that since the eruption's ash moved mostly northward, high alert is necessary in this area. It is reported that there are no settlements within approximately nine kilometers of the volcano.

Indonesia, a vast archipelagic nation, frequently faces seismic and volcanic activity due to its geographical location. Pedestrians have been urged to stay away to prevent the recurrence of disasters.

Following this incident, checkpoints and camps accessible to hikers are being strictly monitored, and travel permits will not be issued until the situation stabilizes, they said.