The fate of 20 hikers on a hiking trip is missing after the eruption today of the Dukono volcano on Indonesia’s Halmahera island in the eastern part of the Moluccan Islands archipelago, members of the rescue services told the French news agency.
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“According to the information available, twenty hundred people are being sought,” Iwan Ramdani, in charge of search and rescue operations, said by telephone, explaining that a cloud of smoke had reached a height of ten kilometres.
“Our team is on its way. We don’t know yet if there are any injured,” he added.
Ramdani clarified that these 20 people were all hiking, although the area had been closed to visitors since April 17, when scientists had noticed an increase in volcanic activity.
The eruption, which occurred early this morning, was accompanied by a “roar” and a column of thick smoke that rose about 10 kilometres above the summit of Ducono, a volcano located in the province of the northern Moluccas, said Lana Sarria, in charge of the National Geological Survey.
“The ash is heading north, residential areas and the city of Tobelo should be on alert for volcanic ash showers,” she said in a statement.
Volcanic smoke can be dangerous to public health, Lana Sarria added, and can cause problems for transport services.
