Volcano eruption kills three hikers in Indonesia

Three hikers, including two Singaporeans and an Indonesian national, have died following a volcanic eruption on Mount Dukono in Indonesia, authorities confirmed on Friday.

The deadly eruption occurred on Halmahera Island, where the volcano spewed a massive ash cloud nearly 10 kilometres into the sky while hikers were reportedly inside a prohibited zone near the crater.

North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu said about 20 climbers were on the mountain when the eruption occurred.

He disclosed that nine of the hikers were from Singapore, while the remaining climbers were Indonesians.

Rescue efforts ongoing

The head of the local rescue agency, Iwan Ramdani, confirmed that 17 hikers had been rescued alive as of Friday evening, including seven foreign nationals.

He added that rescue operations were temporarily suspended due to ongoing volcanic activity and would resume on Saturday.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” making it one of the world’s most volcanically active countries, with eruptions and earthquakes occurring frequently across the archipelago.

Tour guide recounts horror

A local tour guide, Alex Djangu, who survived the eruption, said he noticed unusual volcanic behaviour before the disaster.

“This was the first time I’d seen it so quiet,” Mr Djangu said.

“I told the guests that a major eruption is going to happen because the volcano is accumulating pressure at the bottom of the crater.”

According to him, there were two tourist groups near the crater rim when the eruption began at about 7:42 a.m.

“I panicked, I thought they had all died, but it turned out that in the end only three died,” he added.

Mr Djangu, who was guiding two German tourists at the time, said they survived because they remained within the designated safe radius.

Dangerous conditions delay recovery

Authorities said the bodies of the three victims remain on the mountain due to dangerous conditions caused by continuing eruptions.

Mr Pasaribu stated that emergency teams are waiting for safer conditions before beginning evacuation efforts.

“Due to ongoing eruptions, the situation is still considered unsafe for evacuation,” he said.

The eruption has once again highlighted the risks associated with volcanic tourism in Indonesia, particularly in restricted zones around active volcanoes.