Multiple Hikers Killed, Others Rescued After Volcano Erupts in Indonesia

National Search And Rescue Body of Indonesia

Rescue officials close Mount Dukono following the eruption in North Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, Indonesia, on 8 May 2026.

A volcanic eruption on Friday killed three people and prompted a large-scale rescue operation after more than a dozen hikers became stranded near the crater of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono, officials said.

Singaporean nationals and an Indonesian citizen were among those killed when the volcano, located on the island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted, according to the island’s police chief and search and rescue authorities.

Nine foreign nationals and 11 Indonesian hikers were climbing Mount Dukono at the time of the eruption, North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu told Kompas TV.

Search and rescue officials said 17 of the 20 climbers were evacuated safely by Friday evening.

Survivors informed police that three people had died in the eruption, according to Pasaribu. Indonesia’s rescue agency has not formally confirmed the deaths but reported that three people remained missing on Friday.

On Saturday, authorities said two missing Singaporean nationals had been located near the crater rim, although it remained unclear whether they were alive, according to Reuters.

The search operation, which was temporarily suspended overnight, resumed on Saturday morning and involved around 100 rescuers, as well as military and police personnel, supported by thermal drones.

On the day of the eruption, a large column of ash and smoke was seen rising above Mount Dukono in dramatic footage captured near the crater by Indonesian mountain guide Alex Djangu.

Djangu, who was guiding two German tourists at the time, said he felt strong tremors before the eruption, describing the experience as “very scary” in a statement to CNN. He added that sounds were heard coming from beneath the crater around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, prompting him to deploy a drone to assess conditions from above.

“The observations showed the crater was filled with volcanic material, which was not normal. Then we heard two explosions,” he said.

Shortly afterwards, he noticed another group of hikers making their way to the crater’s rim. “When the major eruption occurred at 7:41 a.m. on Friday, it seemed the group had just arrived at the summit and were enjoying themselves,” he said.

“I saw the small rocks and gravel sliding down because of the tremors, then I told my clients we have to run down,” he said.

While Djangu and his group were able to safely evacuate, he said many hikers remained at the crater at the time of the eruption.

“When we were about 100 meters (328 feet) away, I saw two groups of local tourists, one group of nine people already close to the rim and the other were videoing for content.”

“I hope they are still alive,” he can be heard saying in the video.

The volcano, he said, is highly active and continued to erupt into Friday afternoon “with supersonic sound.”

Noting the lack of climbing restrictions in place, Djangu said, “At Dukono there is no security post controlling entry or exit routes, and of course there are no forest police preventing people from climbing.”

At least five hikers were injured in the eruption, according to Indonesia’s disaster management agency.

On Friday, the agency urged both tourists and local residents to avoid all activities on Mount Dukono while volcanic activity remains elevated, stressing that the public should strictly follow instructions issued by local authorities and the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.

Mount Dukono is among Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, with authorities reporting heightened activity since late March. Since December 2024, the PVMBG has advised tourists and climbers to avoid entering a 4-kilometre (2.5-mile) exclusion zone around the volcano’s central crater. The agency also noted a significant increase in explosive magmatic eruptions since March this year.

“When Mount Dukono does not erupt for several days, people need to be careful because it may be building up very high pressure. And that is what happened today,” guide Alex Djangu said in video footage.

Indonesia lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a highly active seismic zone encircling the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently. It is one of the most geologically active regions on Earth, extending from Japan and Indonesia across the Pacific to the west coasts of the Americas.

Sources: Reuters, CNN



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