Three dead after Mount Dukono eruption; rescuers evacuate the rest of hikers

Rescuers located the remainder of the hiking group and evacuated most to a hospital. Two porters stayed on the mountain to help locate the bodies. By Friday afternoon, Mount Dukono was still emitting ash and rock material from its crater, hindering retrieval of the bodies located at higher elevations due to repeated eruptions, difficult terrain, and strong blasts. Officials noted there may have been negligence by tourism operators or individuals who proceeded with climbing despite prior warnings. A local resident assisting rescuers said from a shelter that ash and rock material were continuously ejected.

The eruption occurred at 07:41 local time with several people on the mountain. Three people from a 20-member hiking group — two Singaporeans and one local resident from the nearby city of Ternate — died. The rest of the group were located and evacuated from the mountain; two porters stayed behind to aid rescuers in locating the bodies.

Officials reported that Mount Dukono had erupted more than 200 times since March 2026, indicating sustained volcanic activity prior to the May 2026 incident.