Indonesian woman's body recovered, Singaporeans missing
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- Rescuers recovered the body of an Indonesian woman, identified as Enjel, from near the crater rim of Mount Dukono on Halmahera.
- Search operations continued for the bodies of two Singaporean climbers, whose location remains unknown, despite ongoing eruptions.
- Mount Dukono erupted early Friday, spewing ash columns up to 6 miles (10 km) high, and continued to show activity with ash up to 3,000 meters and lava bursts.
- Local authorities had closed all hiking routes to Mount Dukono in April and reinforced the ban after the incident, establishing a 4‑km exclusion zone around the crater.
- More than 100 rescuers, supported by drones, have been involved in the operation, focusing on a 700‑square‑metre area where clues were found.
- Seventeen hikers have been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who assisted rescue, with ten suffering minor burn injuries.
- Iwan Ramdani, head of the local search and rescue office, said the rescue effort required careful calculation and a well‑planned evacuation strategy, balancing safety and volcanic activity.
Why it matters: The recovery highlights the peril of defying the 4‑km exclusion zone, as hikers confront life‑threatening eruptions while authorities must devote extensive personnel and drones to rescue, and the two missing Singaporeans remain at risk of fatal exposure, underscoring the challenge of maintaining safety in Indonesia's active volcanic region.
