SINGAPORE/INDONESIA: Singapore authorities are working with Indonesia to assist Singaporeans affected by the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono volcano, after two Singaporeans were reported among three people killed during a hiking trip on Friday.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said it is coordinating closely with Indonesian authorities and the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta to gather information and provide consular support to those affected and their families.

The eruption took place at about 7.41 a.m/local time (6:41 a.m. Singapore time) on May 8 on Halmahera Island in Indonesia’s North Maluku province. Indonesian police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said three hikers died, including two foreigners believed to be Singaporeans and one Indonesian resident from Ternate.

Indonesian authorities reportedly said 20 hikers were caught in the eruption, with three people still missing at the time of reporting. Nine Singaporeans were believed to be among the group. MFA didn’t confirm the exact number of Singaporeans involved, according to a Channel NewsAsia (CNA) report.

Mount Dukono had already been closed to visitors since April 17 due to rising volcanic activity. Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) had also advised tourists and climbers to stay at least 4km away from the crater since December. Mount Dukono remains at level two on Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic alert system.

A remote volcano with a risky reputation

Unlike Indonesia’s more popular volcanoes frequented by tourists, Mount Dukono is remote and difficult to access. Travellers usually need several stages of transport from Jakarta, including flights, boat rides, and long road journeys, before even beginning the trek.

That isolation may partly explain why emergency response efforts in the area can become more complicated once conditions worsen.

Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire and has more active volcanoes than almost any other country. Eruptions are not unusual there, but fatalities involving foreign hikers often trigger renewed scrutiny over enforcement, trekking operators, and whether tourists fully understand volcanic risks before climbing.

Warnings on adventure travel risks and precautions

The incident may also resonate with Singaporeans because adventure travel has become increasingly common among younger travellers seeking experiences beyond mainstream tourism. Social media has also fuelled interest in remote hiking destinations, even in areas with known environmental risks.

For travellers, volcanic alert warnings aren’t merely technical notices. They are safety boundaries. When authorities restrict access to dangerous zones, treating those warnings casually can quickly turn an adventure into a rescue operation.

Singaporeans travelling overseas should also register with the MFA where possible and monitor local advisories closely, especially in disaster-prone regions, because nature doesn’t negotiate and volcanic activity rarely gives second chances.

This article (Two Singaporeans are reportedly dead after Mount Dukono volcano eruption in eastern Indonesia) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE, May 9 — Singapore is working with Indonesia to provide assistance and support to Singaporeans affected by the eruption of Mount Dukono, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta are working closely with the Indonesian authorities to gather the relevant information, and render consular assistance and support to the affected Singaporeans and their families,” MFA reportedly said.

Three hikers, including two Singaporeans, were reported dead after Mount Dukono erupted on Indonesia’s eastern Halmahera island.

The volcano, located in North Maluku province, erupted at 7.41am local time (6.41am Singapore time) yesterday, sending a plume of ash and smoke up to 10km into the air.

“There are three dead, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate island in eastern Indonesia,” North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu told Kompas TV.

The number of Singaporeans affected was not disclosed by MFA, but Indonesian authorities said 20 people were caught in the eruption, with three still missing.

Mount Dukono is currently at level two on Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic alert system.

The area had been closed to visitors since April 17 after scientists recorded increased volcanic activity.

The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) had earlier advised tourists and climbers to stay at least four kilometres away from the volcano’s Malupang Warirang crater due to heightened activity.

NORTH HALMAHERA, May 9 — Three hikers—two Singaporeans and a local—died in an eruption yesterday of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono volcano where they found themselves in a no-go zone, officials said.

The eruption on Halmahera island sent an ash cloud about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) into the air, with no towns or villages near enough to face any immediate threat.

Twenty hikers were on the slopes when disaster struck, North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu told reporters at a volcano monitoring station in Mamuya village.

He said nine were from Singapore and the rest Indonesian.

As of yesterday evening, 17 climbers—seven of them foreigners—have been found alive, according to the head of local rescue agency Iwan Ramdani.

Rescue efforts have been paused and will resume today, he said.

Tour guide Alex Djangu, who was on the slopes when the eruption happened, said he arrived with a tour group on Thursday and found the volcano acting “a bit strange”.

“This was the first time I’d seen it so quiet,” he said by telephone from his hotel not far from the volcano.

“I told the guests that a major eruption is going to happen because the volcano is accumulating pressure at the bottom of the crater. And my prediction turned out to be correct.”

When the eruption happened, there were two groups of tourists, about 15 in total, at the crater rim, the 48-year-old recounted.

“I panicked, I thought they had all died, but it turned out that in the end only three died,” the tour guide added.

Djangu was with two German hikers who “survived because we were in the safe radius,” he said, describing this as the biggest eruption of Mount Dukono he had ever witnessed.

“Previously, when there was an eruption, there would be a single blast and then it was over. This time, the eruption started at 7:42 and by the time we came down the intensity was still the same, rocks were still coming out of the crater.”

Prohibited area -

Erlichson said the bodies of the three deceased were still on the mountain.

“Due to ongoing eruptions, the situation is still considered unsafe for evacuation. So, the joint team is still waiting for the right time to begin the search,” he said.

Some of the hikers had suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.

The group’s guide and a porter were taken to the police station and could face criminal charges for taking hikers into a prohibited area, added the police chief.

Since December 2024, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has warned tourists and climbers not to come within four kilometres of the volcano’s Malupang Warirang Crater after scientists spotted an uptick in seismic activity.

Erlichson said the hikers had ignored social media appeals and warning signs put up at the entrance of the trail to stay away.

“Local residents understand and don’t want to climb. Many (hikers) are foreign tourists who wish to create (social media) content,” he said.

Lana Saria, head of the government Geology Agency, said Friday’s eruption was accompanied by a “booming sound” and a thick column of ash and smoke rising 10 kilometres from the summit of Mount Dukono.

“The direction of the ash distribution leans northward, so residential areas and Tobelo City need to be vigilant for... volcanic ash rain,” she said in a statement.

The smoke could be dangerous for public health, Lana added, and risked disrupting transportation services.

There are no settlements within a radius of about nine kilometres of the volcano.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide.

The Southeast Asian country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Mount Dukono is on level two of Indonesia’s four-tiered alert system.

Erlichson urged hikers to stay away to prevent a repeat of Friday’s avoidable disaster that has forced rescuers to deploy in “tough terrain” even as the volcano continues rumbling.

“After this incident, we will be strictly monitoring posts that hikers can pass. So no hiking as long as the status remains at level 2,” he said. — AFP