Three people hiking on Indonesia’s Mount Dukono have died after a volcano erupted yesterday morning.
Indonesian officials said two Singaporeans and one local resident from the nearby city of Ternate had died. Both of the foreign victims are believed to be male, with one aged 30 and the other 27. The local victim is said to be a female, but no more details were given.
Videos and pictures of the eruption show the volcano, located on North Maluku island, spewing a column of ash stretching 10kms into the sky.
The three victims were part of a group of 20 Singaporeans and Indonesians hiking on the mountain despite restrictions. The rest of the group was eventually located by rescuers and evacuated from the mountain.
The volcano has erupted more than 200 times since last March. Officials had previously issued warnings against climbing the mountain due to safety concerns.
The latest eruption took place at 07.41 local time (22.41 GMT Thursday), when there were several people on the mountain on early morning hikes.
The bodies of the three deceased are still on the mountain, according to North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu – though most of the hiking group have been safely evacuated and sent to hospital.
Two members of the group, who are porters, stayed behind on the mountain to help rescue workers locate the bodies.
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