Mount Dukono Eruption Claims Three Lives, Leaves Twenty Hikers Missing
Authorities maintain a high alert status and warn residents to avoid the four-kilometre exclusion zone as the search for the missing continues.
A significant eruption at Mount Dukono on Halmahera island has resulted in the deaths of three hikers and left twenty others missing. The event occurred on Friday at 07:41 a.m. local time, projecting a plume of volcanic ash up to 10 kilometres into the air. Of the missing group, nine were identified as being from Singapore. Rescue operations are currently underway, with dozens of personnel deployed to locate the trapped hikers.
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation reported that the volcano has been extremely active since March, recording nearly 200 eruptions in that period. The agency maintained the alert status at Mount Dukono at the third-highest level within the country's four-tiered volcano alert system. This heightened activity led to the area being officially off-limits to visitors since 17 April due to increased volcanic activity.
Specific details regarding the casualties indicate that three hikers have been declared dead, comprising two foreigners and one resident of Ternate island. While the exact number of missing hikers is reported as twenty, confirmation of their specific locations or current status beyond the initial count is pending as the search continues. The total number of casualties may rise if the search for the remaining missing hikers yields further fatalities.
The eruption was accompanied by a booming sound and ash distribution leaning northward, prompting warnings for Tobelo City and residential areas regarding volcanic ash rain. Authorities issued a strict warning for residents to avoid activities within 4 km of the crater to mitigate risks from ejected rocks and potential lava flows. Given the northward lean of the ash distribution, the government agency advised specific vigilance for residential zones in that direction.
Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic zone known for intense seismic and volcanic activity. The disaster underscores the ongoing challenges of managing geological hazards in the region. As rescue teams work to recover the missing, the focus remains on the institutional response to the crisis and the safety protocols established by the volcanology agency.
