Rescue teams on Indonesia’s remote island of Halmahera found the bodies of two Singaporean men, aged 30 and 27, on Sunday, two days after they were caught in a volcanic eruption on Mount Dukono, officials said. The men were discovered just a few meters from the body of an Indonesian female hiker, who had been located on Saturday. All three were about 50 meters (165 feet) from the rim of the main crater.
“The bodies were buried under deep, densely packed volcanic material that is difficult to dig through,” Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Agency, said. “Rescue teams must proceed cautiously to ensure safety.”
The three victims were among 20 hikers who set out to ascend the 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano on Friday, defying safety restrictions that bar all activities within a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) danger zone around the crater. Mount Dukono erupted early Friday, spewing a thick ash column that rose about 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the air. Seventeen people were safely evacuated hours later, including seven Singaporean nationals. Ten of those evacuated had minor burns, while two were able to join the rescue operation and provided information to help locate those missing.
Search teams involving nearly 100 personnel faced extreme terrain and continuing volcanic activity. Iwan Ramdani, head of the local search and rescue department, said the volcano continued to spew ash, hot material, and glowing rocks throughout the operation. “The search operation was repeatedly disrupted by Mount Dukono’s continued volcanic activity,” Ramdani said. “Teams must be extremely careful during the evacuation process.”
The bodies of the three victims were transported to an emergency response post before being taken to Tobelo Regional Hospital for identification and further handling, Ramdani said. The National Disaster Management Agency announced Sunday that the search and rescue operation was now closed. The agency urged residents, tourists, and tour operators to comply with safety regulations and avoid restricted areas.
Mount Dukono is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval because it sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.