Mount Dukono on Indonesia's Halmahera island erupted at 07:41 local time on Friday 8 May 2026 — a major explosive event that sent a column of volcanic ash 10 kilometres into the sky and caught a group of 20 hikers on the mountain. Three of them did not survive. The group had entered a zone that had been officially closed to climbers since 17 April, three weeks before the eruption, following a significant intensification of volcanic activity that Volcoholics had been tracking since late March.
All 20 hikers in the missing group are now accounted for. Three are dead, the remainder have been evacuated or are assisting rescue teams in locating the bodies. The group — which included nine Singaporean nationals — had ignored the climbing ban in place since 17 April.
The eruption
The eruption began at 07:41 local time on Friday morning and was accompanied by a weak to strong booming sound audible from surrounding areas. Indonesia's Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) confirmed the ash column reached approximately 10 km above the summit — a significant and unusually large event even by Dukono's historically active standards. The ash plume tracked northward from the volcano, prompting PVMBG head Lana Saria to warn residents of Tobelo City and surrounding settlements to be vigilant for ashfall. PVMBG also flagged the risk of volcanic mudflows in the event of rainfall. Alert Level 3 — the third highest on Indonesia's four-tier scale — was maintained following the eruption.
This morning's eruption was not without warning. Activity at Dukono had been intensifying steadily since late March 2026 when 199 explosive events were recorded in a single day on 30 March. By 3 April, dense ash plumes were reaching 4 km above the crater. The volcano had been at Alert Level 2 throughout, with a 4 km exclusion zone around the Malupang Warirang Crater in force since December 2025. On 17 April, PVMBG escalated to Alert Level 3 and the volcano was formally closed to visitors and climbers — a decision that reflected PVMBG's concern about the trajectory of activity. The 20 hikers on the mountain this morning were there in defiance of that closure.
The hikers
A group of 20 hikers was on the mountain at the time of the eruption. Indonesian rescue agency head Iwan Ramdani confirmed that search and evacuation operations were immediately launched, deploying dozens of personnel from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), and police. As of the latest update, all 20 members of the group have been accounted for. Three hikers have been confirmed dead — two foreign nationals and one Indonesian from Ternate island. The remaining survivors were evacuated from the mountain, with two choosing to remain on the mountain to assist search teams in locating the bodies of those killed. Nine members of the group were Singaporean nationals.
North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu was direct about why people were on the mountain at all: the group had ignored warning signs posted at the trailhead and social media appeals urging climbers to stay away. Local residents, he said, were well aware of the closure and respected it. The presence of foreign tourists seeking content for social media — his description — was a pattern he identified as the underlying problem.
A volcano we have been watching
Dukono is one of the most persistently active volcanoes on Earth — it has been in near-continuous eruption since 1933. But the escalation from late March 2026 represented a meaningful departure from background activity. Volcoholics first flagged Dukono as a watchlist entry in the 3 April weekly roundup, when PVMBG reported 199 explosive events on 30 March and ash plumes reaching 4 km on 3 April. We have carried it in every subsequent weekly roundup. Today's event — a 10 km column — is an order of magnitude beyond anything recorded at Dukono during 2026 prior to this morning. It is not a background eruption. It is a major explosive event.
Dukono's persistent activity makes it attractive to hikers and adventure tourists, and it sits in an area of Halmahera that sees growing visitor numbers. The pattern of tourists — particularly those seeking footage for social media — ignoring closure zones at active volcanoes is a recurring and deadly problem across Indonesia. The closures exist because the agencies monitoring these systems have determined that the risk is unacceptable. This morning is a direct consequence of those warnings being ignored.
⚠️ Situation as of 8 May 2026 — afternoon update
All 20 hikers are accounted for. Three are dead. Rescue operations are ongoing to recover the bodies. The volcano remains at Alert Level 3. The exclusion zone is in force. PVMBG has warned of mudflow risk in the event of rainfall. Ash continues to drift northward toward Tobelo City. No one should be on or near this mountain. Monitor official PVMBG channels for updates.