The bodies of two hikers who went missing after the eruption of a volcano have been found, bringing a day-long search effort to a tragic end.
Singaporean nationals Heng Wen Qiang Timothy, 30, and Shahin Muhrez bin Abdul Hamid, 27, were found holding each other under rock debris, following the eruption of Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s Halmahera island on Friday (local time).
On Sunday, rescuers retrieved the men’s remains in what they described as an extremely complicated operation due to steep terrain and persistent rainfall.
The evacuation, which involved around 150 personnel, armed with two thermal drones, was also hampered by ongoing volcanic activity, according to local rescue agency chief Iwan Ramdani.
The search teams focused on an area roughly 350 to 500 feet around the crater rim, a zone considered particularly dangerous due to falling debris and unstable ground.
Officials reported that the search operation has now concluded.
Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province near the Pacific Ocean, began erupting on Friday.
The initial eruption sent ash soaring as high as 10 kilometres above the summit, according to Indonesian authorities.
The eruption killed three people, including the two Singaporean nationals and an Indonesian woman, identified by officials only as Enjel.
Enjel was discovered on Saturday afternoon, with rescue teams saying she was located alongside her backpack near the edge of the volcano’s crater.
Images shared by the rescue agency showed a team carrying a black body bag on a makeshift stretcher down the mountain.
Footage from the eruption, reportedly captured by a local guide, showed large plumes of smoke emerging from the crater as hikers hastily made their way down the mountain.
“Oh my god, the rocks are coming,” he can be heard saying.
“Oh, it’s killed them. Oh my god, they died. It’s killed them,” he added.
“Today is Friday, May 8. We are lucky, we already climbed down.”
A group of around 20 hikers reportedly ignored multiple social media appeals and warning signs posted at the entrance to the trail to Mount Dukono to stay away, according to police chief Erlichson Pasarib.
Seventeen of the walkers, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians, survived the incident.
In a statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the seven surviving Singaporeans were scheduled to return home on Sunday. It remains unclear when the bodies of the two deceased Singaporean nationals will be repatriated.
While the volcano has continued to erupt at a lower intensity since then, the activity has remained dangerous for those in proximity.
Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation reported at least four eruptions as of Sunday, including one that still managed to send ash nearly 1.5 kilometres into the air.
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The agency has maintained its third‑highest alert level for Mount Dukono and has banned all activities within a four-kilometer radius of the crater.
According to a statement from Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, authorities are now considering “possible negligence by tourism operators or individuals” who proceeded with climbing the volcano despite an official closure of the area.
“The government is continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident,” the statement read.
It added that Indonesia’s tourism ministry has since issued a letter closing the Mount Dukono hiking area out of safety concerns for visitors and local communities.
Meanwhile, those who accompanied the hikers up the mountain will be questioned by police.
The bodies of the two Singaporean men were due to undergo an autopsy in a local hospital on Sunday.
Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for its frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions caused by ongoing tectonic plate movements.
The country is home to more than 120 active volcanoes, and eruptions are a regular event, particularly in remote or mountainous regions.
