Eruption of Mount Dukono in Indonesia Results in Three Casualties
Indonesian emergency services have launched an urgent rescue operation to locate 20 hikers trapped on Halmahera island after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday morning, Reuters reports.
The volcano, situated in North Maluku province, erupted at 07:41 local time. According to the country’s volcanology agency, the sudden blast propelled a massive column of volcanic ash up to 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into the atmosphere. Agency head Lana Saria confirmed in a public statement that the alert status for the mountain currently remains at its third-highest level.
Local rescue agency chief Iwan Ramdani told Reuters that dozens of emergency personnel and police officers have been swiftly deployed to locate the stranded group. Authorities confirmed the trapped hiking party consists of nine Singaporean nationals and 11 Indonesians.
In response to the blast, officials have established a strict exclusion zone and warned residents, tourists and local workers to avoid all activities within a 4-kilometre (2.5-mile) radius of the active crater.
The volcanology agency has also highlighted the severe secondary risk of volcanic mudflows, often referred to as lahars or cold lava, should heavy rain mix with the fresh ash deposits on the mountain’s slopes. Indonesia sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire and frequently experiences unpredictable volcanic activity, making swift evacuations critical during such events.
According to BBC, all hikers have been located and 15 of them were evacuated, Two are remaining on the volcano to aid rescuers in retrieving the bodies of three people who died.
At this stage officials have not reported any commercial flight disruptions caused by the towering ash cloud.
