Rescuers Retrieve Bodies After Mount Dukono Eruption

Rescuers on Halmahera found the bodies of two Singaporean hikers on Sunday and had earlier recovered an Indonesian woman, and the National Disaster Management Agency said the search and rescue operation is now closed.

The hikers became stranded when Mount Dukono erupted early Friday, sending an ash column about 10 kilometers into the air and leaving three roughly 50 meters from the main crater rim.

Abdul Muhari said the two men were buried under deep, densely packed volcanic material that complicated and slowed evacuation efforts, and Iwan Ramdani said search teams were repeatedly disrupted by ongoing volcanic activity.

Twenty hikers had set out, 17 were evacuated—including seven Singaporean nationals—with ten suffering minor burns, and nearly 100 to more than 100 personnel supported the search under a reinforced four-kilometer exclusion zone.

The victims' bodies were taken to an emergency post and then Tobelo Regional Hospital for identification, authorities urged compliance with safety bans and warned of legal sanctions while volcanology officials continue monitoring Dukono's activity.