Indonesia volcanic eruption kills 3 hikers: officials

Three hikers, including two foreigners, died and 10 were missing after Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s eastern Halmahera island erupted on Friday, spewing an ash cloud about 10 kilometres into the air, a local police chief said. “There are three dead, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate” island in eastern Indonesia, police chief Erlichson Pasaribu of North Halmahera district told Kompas TV. Seven people had come down safely, Erlichson said, but 10 more were missing in an area declared off-limits to visitors last month after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity. According to Indonesia’s BNPB disaster mitigation agency, five climbers were injured in the eruption. “The joint teams from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) continue to conduct sweeps and evacuations of climbers in the mountain area as volcanic activity increases,” spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement. Erlichson said the rescue operation was taking place in rough terrain, only accessible to vehicles part of the way up the slope. “The rest of the way (the victims) need to be carried on a stretcher. And there is still rumbling from the eruption. It slows down our evacuation,” he said. Lana Saria, head of the government Geology Agency, said the early-morning eruption was accompanied by a “booming sound” and a thick smoke column rising around 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. Ring of Fire 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. Infographic shows active volcanoes around the eastern Indonesian archipelago. — Photo via A