Indonesia volcano eruption kills 3 hikers, several missing

"Mount Dukono, located on the Halmahera island in North Maluku province, erupted on Friday at 07:41 a.m. local time (10:41 pm UTC Thursday), spouting volcanic ash up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) high into the air, Indonesia's volcanology agency said. Twenty hikers, nine of them from Singapore, were reported missing shortly after."

""There are three dead, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate" island in east Indonesia, Erlichson Pasaribu, the police chief of North Halmahera, told Kompas TV. Dozens of rescue personnel have been deployed to search for the trapped hikers, Iwan Ramdani, the head of the local rescue agency, told Reuters news agency."

"Government geology agency head Lana Saria said in a statement that Friday's eruption was accompanied by a "booming sound." The agency maintained the alert status at Mount Dukono at the third-highest level in the country's four-tiered volcano alert system, she said. "The direction of the ash distribution leans northward, so residential areas and Tobelo City need to be vigilant for... volcanic ash rain," the agency head added."

"Authorities also warned residents to steer clear of any activities within 4 km (2.5 miles) of the crater. Since April 17, the area has been officially off-limits for visitors after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity."

Mount Dukono on Halmahera island erupted at 07:41 a.m. local time, sending volcanic ash up to 10 kilometers into the air. Shortly after the eruption, 20 hikers were reported missing, including nine from Singapore. Three missing people were reported dead, including two foreigners and one resident of Ternate island. Dozens of rescue personnel were deployed to search for trapped hikers. The area had been officially off-limits since April 17 due to increased volcanic activity. The eruption produced a booming sound and the volcano alert level remained at the third-highest level. Ash distribution was expected to lean northward, prompting warnings for residential areas and Tobelo City, and authorities advised avoiding activities within 4 km of the crater.

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