Indonesian woman found dead after Mount Dukono eruption, search continues for two Singaporeans

Rescuers recovered the body of an Indonesian woman from Mount Dukono on Saturday after a Friday morning eruption sent ash 10 kilometers into the air and trapped 20 hikers on the remote volcano in North Maluku province. Search crews also found the positions of two missing Singaporeans, but were unable to reach them as volcanic activity and steep terrain kept closing in around the crater.

The eruption began at 7:41 a.m. local time on Friday, May 8, 2026, when Dukono flung ash across Halmahera island and forced a race to move hikers off the mountain. Seventeen people were evacuated that day, while three others were first reported missing. By Saturday afternoon, rescuers had recovered the body of the Indonesian hiker around 1:20 p.m., buried under volcanic ash about 600 meters from the crater, and brought it down the mountain.

Preliminary information from Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency placed the two Singaporeans about 20 to 30 meters from the rim of the main crater, a position that left them perilously close to the active vent and difficult to reach safely. Search efforts were repeatedly slowed by continuing eruptions and heavy rain, and crews had to suspend operations at times before planning to resume on Sunday.

Mount Dukono is among Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, and authorities said it has erupted close to 200 times since March. The mountain had already been on a heightened alert status, with hiking to the summit prohibited since 2024. Local officials reinforced the ban in April 2026 after volcanic activity increased again, raising fresh questions about how the group was allowed into a restricted area in the first place.

Police in North Halmahera said they were investigating the tour company that brought hikers into the prohibited zone for possible negligence. The case is likely to intensify scrutiny of oversight in Indonesia’s far-flung volcanic regions, where warning systems, trail enforcement and rescue logistics often have to work under extreme conditions and with limited margin for error.

The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was working with Indonesian authorities and the Singapore embassy in Jakarta to gather information and assist the affected Singaporeans and their families. Meanwhile, ash from Dukono triggered warnings for Tobelo and surrounding areas to watch for ash rain, a reminder that the danger from the eruption extended well beyond the crater rim.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where active volcanoes, remote terrain and uneven emergency capacity can turn a single eruption into a prolonged rescue operation. At Dukono, that reality has already cost one life and left two foreign hikers still out of reach.