Indonesian rescuers retrieve body from Mount Dukono as search continues

Rescuers on Saturday recovered the body of an Indonesian woman who was caught in a volcanic eruption on Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s remote island of Halmahera, as search operations continued for the bodies of two Singaporeans, officials said.

The dead hikers were among 20 who set out to scale the 1,355m (4,445ft) volcano in defiance of safety restrictions and became stranded when Dukono erupted early on Friday, spewing a thick ash column about 6 miles (10km) into the air.

The woman, identified by authorities only as Enjel and known as a local hiker, was found on Saturday afternoon, about 50 metres from the rim of the main crater, said Iwan Ramdani, who heads the local search and rescue office. The location of the two Singaporean climbers remains unknown, and rescue efforts are continuing amid high volcanic activity, he said.

“The rescue efforts went through a situation that required careful calculation and a well planned evacuation strategy,” Ramdani said, “We took into account the potential escalation of volcanic activity as well as the safety of all personnel.”

Since the eruption, 17 hikers have been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who joined the rescue operation and provided information on climbing routes of the victims. Ten of those evacuated suffered minor burn injuries.

Rescuers recover a victim of the eruption of Mount Dukono on Saturday. Photograph: Basarnas/AP

The search operation, involving more than 100 people supported by drones, resumed early on Saturday, focusing on a 700 sq metre area where clues were found during earlier searches, despite hazardous terrain and continuing eruptions, according to Ramdani.

He added that rescuers were prioritising safety because Dukono’s volcanic activity remains elevated.

“The main challenge in this search effort is that we are racing against eruptions,” Ramdani said in a video statement. “When the authorities declare conditions safe, we move closer to the crater area, but when an eruption occurs, we must immediately secure all search personnel from potential danger.”

Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported a series of eruptions from early Saturday into the late morning, including ash columns rising to 3,000 meters (10,000ft). Lava bursts were also observed overnight.

Mount Dukono has been on the second-highest alert level status since 2008. The volcanology agency had recommended a two-and-a-half mile (4km) exclusion zone around the active crater in December 2024.

All hiking routes to Mount Dukono were closed by local authorities in April and the ban was reinforced after Friday’s incident. The national disaster management agency warned that entering restricted zones could result in legal sanctions, and urged climbers and tour operators to comply with safety recommendations.

Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 270 million people, sits along the Pacific “ring of fire” and is home to more than 120 active volcanoes.