A rescue operation was under way on Friday in eastern Indonesia after a volcanic eruption on Mount Dukono left 20 hikers unaccounted for and three people confirmed dead.
The volcano, on Halmahera island in North Maluku province, erupted at 07:41 a.m. local time (10:41 p.m. UTC Thursday), sending an ash plume reported as high as 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) into the atmosphere. Authorities say 20 hikers went missing shortly after the eruption; nine of them were reported to be from Singapore.
North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu told Kompas TV that three bodies had been found: two foreign nationals and one resident of Ternate island. Dozens of search-and-rescue personnel have been deployed to locate the remaining hikers, the head of the local rescue agency, Iwan Ramdani, told Reuters.
The area around Mount Dukono had been officially closed to visitors since April 17, after scientists recorded increasing volcanic activity. Despite the closure, people were in the area at the time of Friday’s eruption.
Indonesia’s government geology agency said the eruption produced a loud booming sound and maintained Mount Dukono at the third-highest alert level in its four-tier system. The agency warned that ash was drifting northward and urged residents and officials in nearby communities, including Tobelo City, to be prepared for ash fall.
Authorities also warned people to avoid all activity within a 4 km (2.5 mile) radius of the crater.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region of frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Local officials and rescue teams continue search efforts amid hazardous conditions created by the eruption and ongoing volcanic unrest.