Three climbers, including two foreign nationals, were killed after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday morning (8 May), according to authorities in North Maluku.
The volcano, located on Halmahera Island in eastern Indonesia, erupted at 7.41 a.m. local time and sent a column of ash around 10 kilometres into the air.
North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu confirmed the deaths during an interview with Kompas TV.
“Three people died, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate Island in eastern Indonesia,” Erlichson said.
He later told reporters that the foreign victims were believed to be citizens of China and Singapore, although their identities had not yet been officially confirmed.
“The information is that they are two foreign nationals, whose identities are still unknown, climbers. They are Chinese and Singaporean,” he said.
Authorities also reported that a number of climbers remained trapped in the restricted area around the volcano.
“20 people are trapped,” Erlichson said.
Earlier reports from rescue workers stated that around 20 climbers had been reported missing following the eruption. Several local media outlets, including BBC News Indonesia and Tribun Ternate, reported that some climbers were from Singapore. Indonesian authorities have not released a complete list of nationalities.
Volcano Had Been Under Restriction Since April
According to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, known as PVMBG, the volcano has remained at the third-highest level in the country’s four-tier volcanic alert system.
The agency said Mount Dukono erupted at 7.41 a.m. WIT and produced a thick ash column.
“An eruption occurred at Mount Dukono on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 7.41 a.m. WIT. The eruption column was observed to be approximately 10,000 metres above the summit,” the agency said in a statement.
PVMBG also reported that the ash cloud was grey to black and moved northwards during the eruption.
“The ash column was observed to be white, grey to black, with a thick intensity directed northward. At the time of this report, the eruption was still ongoing,” the statement said.
The Head of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, Lana Saria, said the eruption was accompanied by a rumbling sound and warned that volcanic ash could affect public health and transportation services.
Authorities had prohibited visitors and climbers from entering the area around the Malupang Warirang crater since 17 April due to increased volcanic activity.
PVMBG has repeatedly advised tourists and residents not to approach within a four-kilometre radius of the crater since December last year.
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Search and Rescue Operations Continue
Search and rescue operations were still underway on Friday afternoon as teams attempted to locate climbers believed to be trapped near the volcano.
The Head of the Ternate Search and Rescue Office, Iwan Ramdani, said dozens of personnel had been deployed to the area, including police officers and rescue workers.
Mount Dukono is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, but it is located far from major tourist routes. Reaching the volcano from Jakarta usually requires a flight to Ternate, followed by a boat crossing to Halmahera and an overland journey to Tobelo in North Halmahera.
Climbers travelling to the volcano often pass through dense forest areas before reaching the ash-covered volcanic terrain surrounding the crater.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences frequent volcanic and seismic activity. Authorities continue to monitor Mount Dukono as the eruption remains ongoing.
