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View all search resultsSearch for two Singaporeans at Mount Dukono hampered by eruptions, rain
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A handout picture taken and released on May 8, 2026 by the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) shows rescue workers standing by after the volcanic eruption of Mount Dukono in North Halmahera, North Maluku. (AFP/National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas)
T
he search for two missing Singaporean hikers after a volcanic eruption of Mount Dukono in North Halmahera, North Maluku, was still hampered by continuous eruptions and bad weather on Sunday, an Indonesian official said, though they were feared to be dead.
Some 150 personnel with two thermal drones have been deployed since Sunday morning, said Iwan Ramdani, head of National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) office in North Maluku capital of Ternate, with the focus of the search around 100-150 meters of the crater rim.
"However, Mount Dukono continues to erupt and rain is also falling in the area. We carry out rescue efforts during intervals when there are no eruptions," Iwan told Reuters.
Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province bordering the Pacific Ocean, began erupting on Friday, spewing ash as high as 10 kilometers. It has continued to erupt at a lower scale ever since.
The area around the crater was still blanketed in volcanic ash, Iwan said, adding that search covers area around 1.25 km from the last known location of the victims.
Rescuers have found backpacks suspected to belong to the two Singaporeans. Survivors told police they were dead, North Halmahera Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Erlichson Pasaribu had said.
Authorities on Saturday confirmed that one Indonesian hiker who had previously gone missing was dead.
Seventeen people, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians, survived the incident.
The Singaporeans will travel home on Sunday, Singapore's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) reported at least three eruptions as of Sunday morning, with the highest spewing 1.3 km of volcanic ash, it said in a statement. The agency is still maintaining the third-highest alert level for Mount Dukono and bans any activities within 4 km of the crater.
The Singapore’s Foreign Ministry previously said it was working with the embassy in Jakarta to provide assistance to affected citizens and families, AFP reported.
