JAKARTA, Indonesia — Search and rescue teams in Indonesia successfully recovered the remains of two Singaporean hikers on Sunday, following a deadly volcanic eruption that occurred Friday on the remote island of Halmahera.
The two men, ages 30 and 27, were discovered just a short distance from where recovery teams had found the body of an Indonesian woman hiker the previous day, according to Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency. The three fatalities had been positioned approximately 165 feet from the main crater’s edge when Mount Dukono erupted.
Dense volcanic debris had completely buried the men’s remains, creating significant challenges for rescue operations and hampering recovery efforts, Muhari explained.
“The bodies were buried under deep, densely packed volcanic material that is difficult to dig through,” Muhari said, “Rescue teams must proceed cautiously to ensure safety.”
The three deceased hikers were part of a 20-person group that had attempted to climb the 4,445-foot mountain in North Maluku province, despite existing safety prohibitions. The group became trapped when the volcano erupted in the early morning hours Friday, launching a massive ash plume approximately 6 miles skyward.
Emergency teams successfully rescued 17 individuals within hours of the initial eruption, including seven people from Singapore. Ten of those rescued sustained minor burn injuries, while two were able to assist in the search efforts by providing crucial information about the missing hikers’ locations.
Nearly 100 rescue personnel participated in the search operation, confronting challenging terrain while the volcano remained active, Muhari reported.
Iwan Ramdani, who leads the regional search and rescue department, explained that Sunday’s recovery mission required constant monitoring by volcanic experts as Mount Dukono continued ejecting ash, heated materials, and glowing debris.
“The search operation was repeatedly disrupted by Mount Dukono’s continued volcanic activity,” Ramdani said, “Teams must be extremely careful during the evacuation process.”
All three victims’ remains were initially brought to an emergency staging area before being transferred to Tobelo Regional Hospital for identification procedures and additional processing, Ramdani confirmed.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Agency announced the formal conclusion of all search and rescue activities.
The agency issued a strong appeal for residents, visitors, and tourism companies to follow established safety protocols and stay away from designated danger zones.
Government officials have implemented a complete prohibition on all activities within a 2.5-mile radius surrounding the crater, following guidance from Indonesia’s volcanic monitoring agency.
Mount Dukono represents one of over 120 active volcanic peaks throughout Indonesia, a nation particularly susceptible to geological instability due to its position along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a curved chain of volcanoes and seismic fault lines surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
