Overview
- Mount Dukono, which erupted Friday at 07:41 local time, blasted an ash plume about 10 kilometers high and trapped a group of hikers on Halmahera Island.
- Police confirmed three deaths — two Singaporeans and one Indonesian — and said the bodies remain on the mountain because continued eruptions have made recovery unsafe.
- Rescuers evacuated 17 people and reported several injuries, then paused the search Friday evening with plans to resume Saturday once conditions allow.
- Officials said the group ignored warning signs and a closure in place since April 17 that bars anyone from coming within 4 kilometers of the Malupang Warirang crater.
- The geology agency kept the alert at its third‑highest level and warned ash could drift toward Tobelo and that rain could trigger dangerous volcanic mudflows.