Tragedy on the Peak: At Least 3 Hikers Dead After Indonesia’s Dukono Volcano Erupts Near Summit

NORTH MALUKU, Indonesia — A nature excursion turned fatal on Friday morning when Mount Dukono, an active volcano on Indonesia’s remote Halmahera Island, erupted violently while a group of 20 hikers was near its summit crater. Authorities confirmed that at least three hikers were killed after being engulfed by hot volcanic ash and debris, while emergency crews launched a high-stakes rescue operation to evacuate 17 surviving members of the party.

The explosion occurred around 7:41 a.m. local time, sending a massive plume of towering ash reaching nearly 10 kilometers into the atmosphere.

According to Indonesia's search and rescue agency, Basarnas, the 20-person hiking group consisted of nine Singaporean nationals and eleven Indonesian citizens. The party was positioned dangerously close to the rim when the volcano unexpectedly ejected thick clouds of scorching ash and volcanic material down its upper slopes.

The victims killed in the blast include two Singaporean tourists and one Indonesian hiker. The remaining 17 hikers managed to flee the immediate fallout zone and were later safely rescued by emergency teams navigating heavy ash fall and treacherous terrain.

Officials revealed that Mount Dukono had been under elevated activity warnings for weeks prior to the disaster. Local volcanologist agencies had established a strict 4-kilometer exclusion radius around the crater due to frequent small-scale explosions, explicitly advising tourists and locals to avoid approaching the summit.

Preliminary police reports indicate that the tour group bypassed warning checkpoints to reach the crater rim. Both the local tour guide and a accompanying porter were taken into police custody following the rescue. Investigators are determining whether criminal charges for gross negligence will be filed against the tour organizer for entering a restricted high-risk area.

"An investigation is currently under way to determine how the group breached the active safety zone and whether safety warnings issued by volcanologist authorities were deliberately ignored," stated local police representatives.

Indonesia sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a volatile arc of fault lines and active volcanoes. Mount Dukono is one of the country's most persistently active peaks, but an increase in seismic activity since late March had prompted heightened safety protocols across the island.

Regional disaster management agencies continue to monitor the peak closely, warning nearby villages to remain vigilant against potential pyroclastic flows and secondary ash clouds as search and recovery operations wrap up.