Indonesian rescuers on Halmahera island have recovered the body of an Indonesian woman caught in the eruption of Mount Dukono, even as authorities said they were still searching for two Singaporean climbers whose location remained unknown after the volcano erupted early Friday. The recovery came Saturday afternoon near the rim of Dukono’s main crater, officials said, with rescue efforts continuing under elevated volcanic conditions.
Iwan Ramdani, who leads the local Search and Rescue Office, said the woman was located about 50 meters from the rim of the main crater and was identified by authorities only as Enjel, known as a local hiker. He said the search for the two Singaporean climbers continued as rescue teams worked amid hazardous terrain and ongoing eruptions.
Ramdani said the rescue operation had required “careful calculation and a well-planned evacuation strategy,” adding that authorities had accounted for a potential escalation of volcanic activity and for the safety of all personnel. In a later video statement, he said the search was essentially “racing against ongoing eruptions,” noting that teams move closer to the crater area only when conditions are declared safe and must pull search personnel back when an eruption occurs.
Hours after the eruption, authorities said 17 climbers had been safely evacuated. The group included seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who eventually joined the rescue operation and provided information on climbing routes of the victims before the eruption. Officials said 10 of those evacuated suffered minor burn injuries.
Ramdani said a search involving more than 100 personnel supported by drones resumed early Saturday, focusing on a roughly 700 square-meter area where clues were found during earlier searches. He said rescuers were prioritizing safety because Dukono’s activity remained elevated and continued to pose risks to crews.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported multiple eruptions from early Saturday through late morning, including ash columns rising as high as 3,000 meters above the crater. The agency also observed lava bursts overnight from a monitoring post near the volcano.
Mount Dukono has been on the second-highest alert level since 2008. After authorities enforced a four-kilometer exclusion zone around the active crater in December 2024, local authorities formally closed all hiking routes to the volcano in April and reinforced the ban following Friday’s incident. The National Disaster Management Agency warned that entering restricted zones could result in legal sanctions, and urged climbers and tour operators to comply with safety recommendations.
Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for frequent seismic and volcanic activity, and is home to more than 120 active volcanoes.