SINGAPORE: The search for two missing Singaporean hikers following the eruption of Mount Dukono in Indonesia is ongoing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Saturday (May 9), while seven others who were evacuated will return home on Sunday.
Mount Dukono in North Maluku province erupted on Friday morning, spewing ash as high as 10km into the sky.
Three people – including two Singaporeans – went missing during the eruption, while 17 hikers – seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians – were evacuated later that day.
“Officers from the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta are presently at Mount Dukono, North Halmahera, working with the Indonesian authorities on the ongoing search and rescue (SAR) operations for the two missing Singaporeans, and facilitating the return of the seven other Singaporeans in the affected group,” said MFA in a statement.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its deep appreciation for the ongoing efforts of local authorities in North Halmahera, where the SAR operations continue under highly challenging conditions.”
MFA had said on Friday it was working with Indonesia to provide assistance and support to Singaporeans who had been affected by the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono.
On Friday, the local search and rescue agency identified the two missing Singaporean hikers as Heng Wen Qiang Timothy, 30, and Shahin Muhrez bin Abdul Hamid, 27, as it published a list of the survivors and missing.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency BNPB said the two Singaporeans were located about 20m to 30m from the volcano’s main crater, but rescue efforts could not proceed because of extreme terrain conditions and heightened volcanic activity around Mount Dukono.
Rescuers on Saturday were in the midst of recovering the body of an Indonesian national, which authorities believe to be that of a woman named Angel, Iwan Ramdani, the head of the local rescue agency, told reporters. The body will be brought to a regional hospital for identification.
A local tour guide, citing fellow guides, said that the victims had apparently taken a faster but more dangerous route up Mount Dukono, although it remains unclear whether the path was unofficial.
