Three Hikers Feared Dead After Eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono

Search and rescue teams in Indonesia resumed operations on Saturday to recover the bodies of three hikers believed to have been killed during a volcanic eruption on Mount Dukono, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

The eruption occurred Friday morning on Halmahera island in North Maluku province, sending a massive ash plume around 10 kilometres into the sky. Officials said the volcano erupted inside a restricted area where authorities had already imposed a no-entry zone due to ongoing volcanic activity.

Police identified the victims as two Singaporean nationals and one Indonesian hiker. While local authorities confirmed their deaths, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency continues to officially list them as missing until recovery efforts are completed.

Seventeen other climbers who were on the mountain at the time of the eruption were evacuated safely. Several of them were also from Singapore.

Rescue operations were temporarily suspended Friday evening as Mount Dukono continued to rumble and release volcanic material, creating dangerous conditions near the crater. The search resumed Saturday morning with more than 100 personnel, including soldiers, police officers and emergency workers supported by drone surveillance.

“We are racing in this search,” rescue agency official Iwan Ramdani said in a statement from the Dukono monitoring station in Mamuya village. “When the situation is safe, we will approach the crater, and when another eruption occurs, we must immediately secure all rescue personnel.”

Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported that the volcano erupted several more times on Saturday, with one explosion producing an ash column nearly three kilometres high.

Authorities said preliminary findings suggest the bodies of the two Singaporean hikers are located approximately 20 to 30 metres from the crater rim. The location of the Indonesian victim remains unknown.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was coordinating with its embassy in Jakarta to assist affected citizens and their families.

Officials said the hikers had entered a prohibited zone despite repeated warnings. Dukono has remained on level two alert status under Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic warning system since 2008. A four-kilometre exclusion zone around the crater has been in place since December 2024.

Local police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said warning signs had been posted along the trail and public appeals were circulated on social media urging visitors to avoid the area.

Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by shifting tectonic plates. The country is home to nearly 130 active volcanoes and frequently experiences eruptions and earthquakes.

Mount Dukono has recorded persistent volcanic activity for years, with authorities closely monitoring the site due to the risks posed to nearby communities and visitors.