3 Killed in Indonesia Volcano Eruption

In Indonesia, three climbers were killed and ten others remain missing after the eruption of Mount Dukono on Halmahera Island in the country’s east, according to local police.

North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Basaribo said the victims included two foreign nationals and one Indonesian from Ternate.

Authorities confirmed that the area surrounding the volcano had already been closed to visitors since April 17 after scientists detected heightened volcanic activity.

Indonesia’s Geology Agency said the eruption occurred early in the morning and was accompanied by a powerful explosion and a massive ash column rising nearly 10 kilometres above the crater of Mount Dukono in North Maluku province.

Agency head Lana Saria warned that volcanic ash was drifting northward, raising concerns for nearby residential areas and the city of Tobelo. Officials also cautioned about health risks linked to ash exposure and potential disruptions to transportation services.

Indonesia experiences frequent volcanic and seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most active earthquake and volcano belts.

Mount Dukono is currently classified at Level Three, the second-highest alert level in Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic warning system. Since December, the country’s volcanology agency has advised tourists and climbers to remain at least four kilometers away from the volcano’s active crater zones.

The latest eruption adds to a series of major volcanic events across Indonesia in recent years, including eruptions at Mount Semeru and Lewotobi Laki-Laki, both of which triggered widespread ash clouds and deadly lava flows.