Three Hikers Killed, Five Injured in Powerful Eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono

Three hikers died and five others were injured when Mount Dukono erupted on Halmahera island in Indonesia on Friday. m. local time sent a column of ash more than six miles into the sky.

No towns or villages were close enough to face any immediate threat. About 20 climbers set out Thursday to climb the 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano despite prohibitions. North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said the group was aware that climbing was prohibited as Mount Dukono is a restricted zone due to its high alert status, but insisted on going ahead.

The three victims included one local resident from Ternate and two Singaporeans. Their bodies remain on the volcano, with ongoing eruptions and difficult terrain preventing evacuation by rescue teams.

Rescue teams were deployed after receiving an emergency signal from the mountain area. As of Friday afternoon, 17 climbers had been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals. The 17 evacuated climbers included two Indonesians who joined the rescue operation and provided information on climbing routes of the victims.

Five of those evacuated were reported injured. Pasaribu said police will question those who joined the hikers up the mountain. The Indonesian victim was from Ternate, which is in the same province as Mount Dukono.

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 climbers had entered an off-limits area.

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.