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SINGAPORE: Every year, Mr Jeremy Tong takes expedition groups to some of Southeast Asia\u2019s most popular mountains \u2013 among them Mount Kerinci, the highest active volcano in Southeast Asia and one of Sumatra\u2019s most active.<\/p>\n
The draw is beauty and a sense of adventure, said Mr Tong, who runs a travel expedition company, JTrace, and has led expeditions for over 12 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you climb the volcano, there’s this sense of humility and respect for nature, because the mountain is alive,\u201d the 36-year-old said.<\/p>\n
The recent deadly eruption at Indonesia\u2019s Mount Dukono has put a spotlight on the risks of hiking active volcanoes. Experts told CNA that while such expeditions carry certain dangers, hikers can take precautions.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t be afraid of volcanoes. Not all volcanoes are the same. Some volcanoes more active, some volcanoes less active \u2026 always do your research, do your homework, ask questions,\u201d said Mr Tong.<\/p>\n
One of the most underestimated risks hikers face on active volcanoes is the unpredictability of eruptions, said Dr Mirzam Abdurrachman, who works at the Petrology, Volcanology and Geochemistry Research Group at Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Mount Dukono has been erupting almost continuously since 1933, yet many hikers underestimate how quickly conditions can change, he said.<\/p>\n
Friday\u2019s eruption killed three hikers, including two Singaporeans. Seven other Singaporeans were among the 17 people who survived. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Volcanic hazards extend well beyond lava flows, Dr Abdurrachman said. Ash inhalation, falling rocks, crater explosions and lahars \u2013 volcanic mudflows triggered by rain \u2013 are often more dangerous for hikers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some active volcanoes are more dangerous for hikers because of their eruption style, frequency, gas emissions and crater accessibility, he added.<\/p>\n
The death toll from active volcanoes has at times been severe. In 2023, Indonesia’s Mount Marapi erupted, killing 23 hikers. In December 2019, an eruption on Whakaari Island in New Zealand killed 22 people, many of them tourists.<\/p>\n
Some types of eruptions are especially dangerous because they occur with little warning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phreatic eruptions \u2013 short-lived blasts of steam \u2013 can catch hikers off guard, said Associate Professor Benoit Taisne from the Asian School of the Environment and Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University. A phreatic explosion at Japan’s Mount Ontake killed 63 hikers in 2014.<\/p>\n
Volcanoes with small daily explosions that can be observed from a safe distance may pose less risk, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won’t be close enough to be at risk because you know it’s erupting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Volcanoes showing no signs of unrest or pending activity also tend to be safe for hikers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under the Global Volcanism Program’s definition \u2013 volcanoes that have erupted in the last 10,000 years \u2013 active volcanoes can be safe to visit, depending on the information that relevant agencies hold, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n