Rescue operations have restarted in Indonesia as authorities continue searching for three hikers who disappeared when Mount Dukono volcano erupted on Halmahera island, according to local officials.
The volcanic explosion occurred Friday morning at 7:41 a.m. local time in North Maluku province, launching ash clouds reaching heights of 6.2 miles above the mountain, Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported.
Search teams had to suspend operations Friday night due to ongoing volcanic activity but returned to the field Saturday morning.
More than 100 rescue workers, along with military and police units plus two thermal drones, have been mobilized to locate the missing individuals, according to Iwan Ramdani, who leads the local rescue organization.
The missing hikers include two people from Singapore and one Indonesian citizen, Ramdani confirmed.
“We are focusing the search around the crater, covering an area around 700 metres,” Iwan stated.
Emergency teams successfully evacuated 17 people on Friday, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians.
Local police chief Erlichson Pasaribu reported that survivors indicated three individuals, two of them Singaporean, perished in the eruption, though rescue officials have not yet verified these fatalities as of Saturday.
Continued volcanic eruptions are creating obstacles for Saturday’s search mission, Iwan noted.
Lana Saria, who heads the volcanology agency, confirmed in an official statement that at least four additional eruptions were documented Saturday morning.
Mount Dukono remains at the third-highest alert level, Saria explained.
Officials are warning residents and visitors to avoid all activities within a 2.5-mile radius of the volcanic crater, she advised.
No airline flight cancellations have been reported due to the eruption.
Indonesia is located within the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for intense seismic activity where multiple tectonic plates meet.
