Missing hikers found dead and holding each other after volcano erupts

Key Points:

• The bodies of two missing Singaporean hikers, Heng Wen Qiang Timothy and Shahin Muhrez bin Abdul Hamid, were found under rock debris following the eruption of Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s Halmahera island, ending a day-long search operation.
• The search and retrieval operation was complicated by steep terrain, persistent rain, ongoing volcanic activity, and involved around 150 personnel using thermal drones; the area near the crater rim was deemed highly dangerous due to falling debris and unstable ground.
• The Mount Dukono eruption on May 8 sent ash plumes as high as 10 kilometers, killed three people including the two Singaporean men and an Indonesian woman named Enjel, and led to the closure of the hiking area by Indonesian authorities.
• Despite multiple warnings and official closure notices, about 20 hikers, including Singaporeans and Indonesians, attempted the climb; 17 survived, while authorities are investigating possible negligence by tourism operators or individuals involved.
• Indonesia’s volcanology agency maintains a high alert level for Mount Dukono with a ban on activities within four kilometers of the crater, as the volcano continues erupting at lower intensity, and authorities continue probing the incident while arranging autopsies and repatriation for the deceased.