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Two Singaporean Hikers Found Dead After Mount Dukono Eruption in Indonesia
JAKARTA – Rescue teams on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera have recovered the bodies of two Singaporean hikers following a volcanic eruption on Mount Dukono. The hikers, aged 30 and 27, were discovered Sunday, two days after the volcano erupted unexpectedly.
According to Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, the two men were found just meters away from the first victim, an Indonesian female hiker, who was located deceased on Saturday. All three had been near the crater rim, approximately 50 meters from the volcano’s edge.
The bodies were buried under thick, densely packed volcanic debris, complicating rescue efforts and slowing progress significantly. “The material is very difficult to dig through, so teams must proceed with extreme caution to ensure safety,” Muhari explained.
The trio was part of a group of 20 hikers who climbed Mount Dukono despite existing safety warnings and restrictions. The volcano, standing 1,355 meters tall in North Maluku province, erupted early Friday, sending an ash plume soaring 10 kilometers into the sky.
Seventeen hikers were safely evacuated shortly after the eruption, including seven Singaporean nationals. Among those rescued, ten suffered minor burns, while two later assisted in the search by providing vital information on the whereabouts of those missing.
Nearly 100 personnel have been involved in the search amid challenging terrain and ongoing volcanic activity. Iwan Ramdani, head of the local search and rescue department, noted that the operation was frequently disrupted by continued eruptions, including ash emissions and glowing rock falls, necessitating extreme caution.
The bodies of the victims were transported to an emergency response center before being moved to Tobelo Regional Hospital for identification and further procedures. Following this, the National Disaster Management Agency announced the conclusion of the search and rescue mission.
Authorities have reiterated their call for residents, tourists, and tour operators to adhere strictly to safety regulations and avoid restricted zones. Currently, all activity is banned within a 4-kilometer radius around Mount Dukono’s crater, in line with volcanology experts’ recommendations.
Mount Dukono is one of over 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a nation situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – a highly active seismic belt marked by frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.