Body of Indonesian Woman Recovered After Mount Dukono Eruption That Stranded 20 Hikers

Indonesian rescuers recovered the body of an Indonesian woman named Enjel on Saturday afternoon, about 50 meters from the rim of the main crater of Mount Dukono on the remote island of Halmahera. The woman was one of 20 hikers who set out to ascend the 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano in defiance of safety restrictions and became stranded when it erupted early Friday, spewing a thick ash column that rose about 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the air.

Seventeen climbers had been safely evacuated hours after the eruption.

The 17 evacuated climbers included seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who joined the rescue operation and provided information on climbing routes. Ten of those evacuated suffered minor burn injuries. Search operations continued on Saturday for the bodies of two Singaporean climbers.

The search operation that involved more than 100 personnel supported by drones resumed early Saturday, focusing on a 700 square-meter (7,500 square-foot) area where clues were found during earlier searches. Iwan Ramdani, who heads the local Search and Rescue Office, said the rescue efforts required careful calculation and a well-planned evacuation strategy.

Ramdani added that the main challenge is racing against ongoing eruptions. ” Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported multiple eruptions from early Saturday through late morning, with ash columns rising as high as 3,000 meters (nearly 10,000 feet) above the crater.

Lava bursts were also observed overnight from a monitoring post near the volcano. Mount Dukono has been on the second-highest alert level status since 2008. 5-mile) exclusion zone around the active crater in December 2024.