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Dukono Eruption Kills Three
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono on Halmahera island killed three hikers, including two Singaporeans and an Indonesian, after the group was in an off-limits area when the volcano erupted on Friday morning.
“Mount Dukono volcano erupted on Indonesia’s Halmahera island”
North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said 20 hikers were on the slopes when disaster struck, and he told reporters at a volcano monitoring station in Mamuya village that "To date, 15 climbers have safely descended."
Authorities said the ash cloud rose about 6 miles into the air, and the eruption was recorded on seismographs for more than 16 minutes, according to Indonesia’s Geological Agency.
Rescue teams continued to search for other climbers believed to be attempting to descend, while the bodies of the dead hikers were still on the mountain because ongoing eruptions made evacuation unsafe, Erlichson said.
The eruption was tied to a broader pattern of heightened activity, with the Mount Dukono area having been closed to visitors since April 17 after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity.
Search, Missing, and Warnings
While officials confirmed three deaths, the reporting diverged on how many people remained missing, with Al Jazeera’s account focusing on 20 hikers on the slopes and other coverage describing additional missing climbers.
The Independent said "There are three dead, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate" and described rescuers racing to reach survivors as bodies had not yet been recovered because continued eruptions and dangerous conditions prevented access.
Reuters reported that Indonesian authorities were rushing to rescue 20 hikers after the eruption, and it said Iwan Ramdani told Reuters that dozens of personnel, including police, were deployed to search for the 20 hikers trapped by the eruption.
Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s geology agency, said the ash distribution leaned northward and warned residential areas and Tobelo city needed to be vigilant for "volcanic ash rain".
Authorities also warned residents and tourists to stay within 4 km of the crater and cautioned about risks of volcanic mudflow when it rains.
Alert Level and Next Steps
The eruption came as Mount Dukono was under a heightened alert status, with CBS News and other outlets describing it as being in the off-limits zone due to volcanic activity.
“The agency maintained the alert status at the mountain at its third highest level”
Reuters said the volcanology agency maintained the alert status at the mountain at its third highest level, and it quoted agency head Lana Saria in a statement.
Erlichson Pasaribu said the situation remained unsafe for evacuation because of ongoing eruptions, and he told reporters that the joint team was waiting for the right time to begin the search.
In a separate account, the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia said it had advised tourists and hikers to avoid activities within a 2.5-mile radius of the volcano’s main crater since December 2024 due to threats of rock, ash and lava.
Officials said the government was continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident, and they warned that ashfall could affect nearby settlements including Tobelo, raising health risks and disrupting transportation and daily life.
