Rescuers discovered two missing hikers cuddled together after they were killed during a volcano eruption on a remote Indonesian island.
On Sunday, the bodies of two Singaporeans, Shahin Muhrez bin Abdul Hamid, 27, and Heng Wen Qiang Timothy, 30, were recovered from Mount Dukono on the island of Halmahera.
According to Iwan Ramdani, the head of the local rescue organization, the two were found buried beneath rock fragments near the crater rim.
The men’s remains were recovered by rescuers on Sunday in what they called a challenging operation because of the severe terrain and heavy rain.
Mr. Ramdani continued, “Persistent eruptions also hindered the evacuation, which involved about 150 personnel armed with two thermal drones.”
According to police head Erlichson Pasarib, a group of about 20 hikers disregarded caution signs at the entrance to the Mount Dukono route and social media requests to stay away.
Ten Indonesians and seven Singaporeans were among the seventeen trekkers that made it out alive.
Three individuals were killed in Friday’s eruption: two Singaporeans and an Indonesian woman, named only by officials as Enjel, whose death was verified on Saturday.
On Friday, May 8, people in North Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, Indonesia, watch as smoke rises following Mount Dukono’s eruption.
In North Halmahera, Maluku Province, Indonesia, joint search and rescue (SAR) teams are getting ready to evacuate victims impacted by Mount Dukono’s eruption on Friday.
On May 8, Mount Dukono, which is located in the province of North Maluku and borders the Pacific Ocean, started to erupt.
Images taken on Friday show massive plumes of gases, water vapour, and volcanic ash rising up to 10 km into the sky.
The individual filming the explosion can be heard informing other hikers, “The rocks are coming…oh, it’s killed them,” in the video.
Citing risks like volcanic bombs, ashfall, and toxic gases, the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has long prohibited operations within a 2.5-mile radius of Dukono’s crater.
The head of the government’s Geology Agency, Lana Saria, reported that there was a “booming sound” and a dense column of smoke reaching about ten kilometres during the early morning eruption.
As of Sunday, at least four eruptions were reported by Indonesia’s volcanology agency, one of which sent ash 1.3 km high.
The organization has prohibited any activity within 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) of the crater and is keeping Mount Dukono at its third-highest alert level.
At the time of the explosion, officials think the hikers were inside the prohibited area.
An additional view of Mount Dukono erupting on Friday in North Halmahera, Indonesia, throwing volcanic material into the sky
According to a statement from Barsarnas, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, authorities are investigating “possible negligence by tourism operators or individuals” who continued to climb the volcano despite an official closure of the hiking area. “The government is continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident,” the statement stated.
It further stated that due to safety concerns for both tourists and locals, Indonesia’s tourism ministry has issued a letter closing the Mount Dukono hiking area.
Police will question individuals who accompanied the trekkers up the mountain, according to Erlichson.
The two Singaporean men’s bodies were scheduled to be autopsied on Sunday at a nearby hospital.
According to a statement from Singapore’s Foreign Ministry, the seven surviving Singaporeans will take a plane home on Sunday.
