Two missing hikers have been found dead holding each other near the crater of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono after a deadly volcanic eruption engulfed the mountain.
Singaporean nationals Heng Wen Qiang Timothy, 30, and Shahin Muhrez bin Abdul Hamid, 27, disappeared on Friday after Mount Dukono erupted on Halmahera island in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, blasting ash high into the sky and sending debris cascading across the hiking trail.
Search crews spent days combing the dangerous volcanic terrain before recovering the men’s bodies on Sunday in what officials described as an extremely difficult operation complicated by torrential rain, unstable ground and continuing eruptions.
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Rescuers said the pair were found beneath rockfall close to the crater rim, still holding each other.
The discovery has intensified scrutiny over how hikers were able to access the volcano despite warnings that the area had been closed due to increased volcanic activity. Indonesian authorities are now examining whether tourism operators, guides or individuals may have ignored official safety restrictions before the fatal trek went ahead.
Local police chief Erlichson Pasarib said around 20 hikers entered the area despite warning signs and social media alerts advising visitors not to approach the crater.
Seventeen people survived the eruption, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians.
A third victim, an Indonesian woman identified only as Enjel, was found dead near the edge of the crater on Saturday beside her backpack.
Dramatic footage reportedly captured by a local guide showed hikers scambling down the mountain as thick smoke and volcanic material burst from the crater overhead.
“Oh my god, the rocks are coming,” the guide can be heard saying in the video.
Moments later, as panic spread across the mountainside, he added: “Oh, it’s killed them. Oh my god, they died. It’s killed them.”
The rescue effort involved about 150 personnel supported by thermal drones as crews searched a particularly hazardous zone stretching several hundred feet around the crater rim.
According to local rescue agency chief Iwan Ramdani, teams were repeatedly forced to navigate dangerous conditions while volcanic activity continued nearby.
Mount Dukono remains one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and has continued erupting at lower intensity since Friday. Authorities said at least four additional eruptions had been recorded by Sunday, including one that sent ash nearly 1.5 kilometres into the air.
Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has maintained the volcano’s third-highest alert level and banned all activity within a four-kilometre radius of the crater.
The disaster has reignited concerns around volcano tourism in Indonesia, where active mountains regularly attract hikers and adventure travellers despite rapidly shifting conditions and ongoing seismic risks.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a volatile zone known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions caused by tectonic plate movements. The country is home to more than 120 active volcanoes, many located near popular tourist destinations.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the surviving Singaporean hikers were expected to return home on Sunday, while arrangements were still being made to repatriate the bodies of the two victims.
Authorities said autopsies would be conducted as investigators continue piecing together the circumstances surrounding the deadly eruption.
