Three Dead, Five Injured After Eruption Hits Group Climbing Indonesia’s Mount Dukono

Three people died and five others were injured when Mount Dukono erupted on May 8, 2026. m. local time, an eruption recorded on seismographs for more than 16 minutes.

About 20 climbers had set out on Thursday, May 7, 2026, to climb the nearly 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) mountain despite a long-standing prohibition on such activity. North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said the group was aware that climbing was prohibited as the mountain is a restricted zone due to its high alert status, but insisted on going ahead.

5-mile (4-kilometer) radius of Dukono's crater, citing hazards such as volcanic bombs, ashfall and toxic gases. Officials believe the hikers were inside the restricted zone at the time of the eruption. The three victims included one local resident from Ternate and two Singaporeans.

Their bodies remain on the volcano because ongoing eruptions and difficult terrain prevented evacuation by rescue teams. Rescue teams were deployed after receiving an emergency signal from the mountain area. As of Friday afternoon on May 8, 2026, 17 climbers had been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals.

The 17 evacuated climbers included five who were reported injured, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Two Indonesians who joined the rescue operation provided information on climbing routes of the victims before the eruption, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said. Police will question those who joined the hikers up the mountain, Pasaribu said.

Despite warnings on social media and signs at the site, many people remain determined to climb, driven by the desire to create online content, Pasaribu said. Fox News reported that the desire for online content has continued to draw climbers to the restricted area. Mount Dukono has been continuously erupting since 1933, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.

Lana Saria, who heads Indonesia’s Geology Agency at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said Friday’s eruption was among the strongest during this period. The volcano has shown an increase in explosive magmatic eruptions since late March 2026. Nearly 200 eruptions were recorded since March 30, 2026, with an average of about 95 eruptions a day.

Volcanic activity at Dukono remains at the second highest alert level. Ash clouds ranging from white to gray and black were being blown northward after the latest eruption, Saria said. The heightened activity has persisted even as authorities maintained the mountain's restricted status.