Two Singaporeans and an Indonesian woman died near the crater during a climb authorities said was restricted.
MAMUYA, Indonesia — Rescue teams recovered the bodies of two Singaporean hikers and an Indonesian woman after Mount Dukono erupted Friday on Halmahera island, ending a three-day search through ash, rain and steep volcanic terrain.
The deaths have focused attention on how 20 hikers reached one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes despite limits around the crater. Seventeen people survived, including seven Singaporeans. Indonesian authorities closed the search after the last bodies were recovered and continued looking at whether tour organizers or others ignored rules that had barred climbing on the mountain.
Mount Dukono erupted at about 7:41 a.m. Friday, sending a column of white, gray and black ash about 10 kilometers above the crater and across North Maluku. Officials said the eruption lasted more than 16 minutes and came after a rise in volcanic activity in recent weeks. The dead were identified in reports as Timothy Heng Wen Qiang, Shahin Muhrez Abdul Hamid and Angel Krishela Pradita, an Indonesian hiker. Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, said the last two bodies were buried under thick volcanic material that made evacuation difficult. “The evacuation process of the last two bodies encountered obstacles,” Muhari said, citing the depth and density of the material covering them.
The hikers were near the main crater when the eruption hit. Officials said all three victims had been about 50 meters from the rim, inside an area where activity was banned. Iwan Ramdani, chief of the local search and rescue office, said the two Singaporeans were found under rock debris around the crater rim. He said rescue teams had to move slowly because Mount Dukono was still throwing out ash, hot material and rocks. The bodies were taken first to an emergency response post and then to Tobelo Regional Hospital for identification and further handling. Authorities said the search focused on GPS points, survivor accounts and suspected personal items found near the crater. The exact sequence of the victims’ final movements remained under review.
The search began after 17 hikers made it back down the mountain Friday. They included seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians. Some suffered minor burns, and two survivors later helped rescuers by describing the climbing route and the last known location of the missing hikers. Angel Krishela Pradita’s body was found Saturday. Drones, local guides and search teams then narrowed the likely location of the two missing Singaporeans, but continuing eruptions, rain and low visibility slowed the effort. Ramdani said the operation was repeatedly disrupted by the volcano’s activity. By Sunday, officials said all three victims had been recovered and the search was over.
Mount Dukono rises 1,355 meters in North Maluku, a province in eastern Indonesia near the Pacific Ocean. The volcano has erupted almost continuously since 1933 and is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The country sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of volcanoes and fault lines where earthquakes and eruptions are common. Indonesian volcanology officials had kept a danger zone around the crater because of risks from ashfall, explosions, toxic gases and mudflows during heavy rain. Local officials said climbing activity on Mount Dukono had already been shut down before the fatal eruption, with routes closed after activity increased in April.
Police in North Halmahera were investigating whether anyone connected to the climb was negligent. North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu said investigators had questioned people linked to the trip and were examining why the group climbed despite the restrictions. No arrests had been announced. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said officers from its embassy in Jakarta were working with Indonesian authorities in Tobelo on formal identification of the two Singaporean victims. The ministry said it was in contact with their families and thanked Indonesian search teams for working under hazardous conditions. The seven surviving Singaporeans were expected to return home, while the timing for returning the bodies was not immediately clear.
In Mamuya, a village near the base of the mountain, the eruption turned local farmers and laborers into front-line search volunteers. About 30 residents joined the operation, using their knowledge of ridges, forest paths and muddy tracks to support formal rescue teams. Ramdani said the villagers were important because they understood the terrain and the mountain’s behavior. Jabir Abdul, a 42-year-old resident who joined the recovery effort, said the scene shook even people accustomed to Dukono’s rumbling. Other villagers helped move food, equipment and rescue supplies to the base camp as rain made dirt roads harder to pass. The command post, busy with military, police, disaster and rescue workers during the search, later returned to its normal role as a volcano observation office.
Indonesian officials said monitoring of Mount Dukono was continuing after the search ended Sunday. Police said the negligence inquiry remained open, and disaster officials kept the crater restriction in place while the volcano continued to show activity.
Author note: Last updated Monday, May 11, 2026.