Indonesian rescuers find 1 body after volcano eruption as search continues for 2 more

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers connected Saturday recovered the assemblage of an Indonesian pistillate who was caught successful a volcanic eruption astatine Mount Dukono connected Indonesia 's distant land of Halmahera a time earlier, arsenic hunt operations continued to find the bodies of 2 Singaporeans, officials said.

The slain hikers were among 20 who acceptable retired to ascend the 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano successful defiance of information restrictions and became stranded erstwhile Dukono erupted aboriginal Friday, spewing a heavy ash file that roseate astir 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the air.

The woman, identified by authorities lone arsenic Enjel and known arsenic a section hiker, was located Saturday afternoon, astir 50 meters (165 feet) from the rim of the main crater, said Iwan Ramdani, who heads section Search and Rescue Office. The determination of the bodies of 2 Singaporean climbers remains unknown, and rescue teams are continuing operations amid precocious volcanic activity, helium said.

“The rescue efforts went done a concern that required cautious calculation and a well-planned evacuation strategy,” Ramdani said, “We took into relationship the imaginable escalation of volcanic enactment arsenic good arsenic the information of each personnel.”

Hours aft the eruption, 17 climbers had been safely evacuated, including 7 Singaporean nationals and 2 Indonesians who yet joined the rescue cognition and provided accusation connected climbing routes of the victims earlier the eruption. Ten of those evacuated suffered insignificant pain injuries.

The hunt cognition that progressive much than 100 unit supported by drones resumed aboriginal Saturday, focusing connected a 700 square-meter (7,500 square-foot) country wherever clues were recovered during earlier searches, contempt hazardous terrain and continuing eruptions, according to Ramdani.

He said rescuers were prioritizing information due to the fact that Dukono’s volcanic enactment remains elevated.

“The main situation successful this hunt effort is that we are racing against ongoing eruptions,” Ramdani said successful a video statement, “When the authorities state conditions safe, we determination person to the crater area, but erstwhile an eruption occurs, we indispensable instantly unafraid each hunt unit from imaginable danger.”

Indonesia’s volcanology bureau reported aggregate eruptions from aboriginal Saturday done precocious morning, including ash columns rising arsenic precocious arsenic 3,000 meters (nearly 10,000 feet) supra the crater. Lava bursts were besides observed overnight from a monitoring station adjacent the volcano.

Mount Dukono has been connected the second-highest alert level presumption since 2008. Authorities enforced a four-kilometer (2.5-mile) exclusion portion astir the progressive crater successful December 2024.

Local authorities formally closed each hiking routes to Mount Dukono successful April and reinforced the prohibition pursuing Friday’s incident. The National Disaster Management Agency warned that entering restricted zones could effect successful ineligible sanctions.

The bureau urged climbers and circuit operators to comply with information recommendations, noting that akin restrictions use to dozens of different progressive volcanoes crossed the state presently astatine elevated alert levels.

Indonesia, an archipelago federation of much than 270 cardinal people, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is location to much than 120 progressive volcanoes.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.