JAKARTA: Three hikers — two from Singapore and one from Indonesia — lost their lives after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday morning on Indonesia’s Halmahera island. Officials said the group had entered a restricted zone near the volcano’s crater even though authorities had already imposed safety bans because of rising volcanic activity. The eruption sent a massive plume of ash and smoke almost 10 kilometres into the air, causing panic among climbers and triggering an emergency rescue response. North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu told reporters that 20 hikers were on the mountain when the eruption took place. According to AFP, 15 climbers have since managed to descend safely. Of the group, nine were Singaporeans while the others were Indonesian nationals.
Several survivors sustained minor injuries and were later treated at a hospital after returning from the mountain. Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported that Mount Dukono erupted at 7:41am local time on Friday. Authorities said recovery efforts for the victims were delayed because conditions around the volcano remained too dangerous for rescue teams. Pasaribu explained that ongoing eruptions were preventing crews from safely accessing the area, and officials would wait for volcanic activity to ease before continuing evacuation operations. The volcano’s alert level remains at the third-highest stage. (Agencies)
Also Read: Thousands evacuated as mayon volcano erupts in philippines, ashfall disrupts albay province