Indonesia's Mount Dukono Eruption Kills Three Hikers, Ten Missing

Mount Dukono on Indonesia's Halmahera island erupted on May 8, 2026, killing three hikers including two foreigners and leaving ten missing. The eruption sent an ash cloud approximately 10 kilometres into the air. The area where hikers went missing had been declared off-limits in April 2026 after scientists observed increased volcanic activity, but hikers ignored warning signs. Seven people descended safely while five were injured.

Mount Dukono eruption

• ▪The ash distribution from Mount Dukono's May 8, 2026 eruption leaned northward toward residential areas and Tobelo City.
• ▪Mount Dukono's May 8, 2026 eruption spewed an ash cloud about 10 kilometres into the air.
• ▪Mount Dukono's early-morning eruption on May 8, 2026 was accompanied by a booming sound.
• ▪Mount Dukono on Indonesia's eastern Halmahera island erupted on May 8, 2026.
• ▪Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Hiker deaths

• ▪Five climbers were injured in the Mount Dukono eruption on May 8, 2026.
• ▪Three hikers died in the Mount Dukono eruption on May 8, 2026, including two foreigners and one resident of Ternate island.

Missing climbers

• ▪Seven people came down safely from Mount Dukono after the May 8, 2026 eruption.
• ▪Ten hikers were missing after the Mount Dukono eruption on May 8, 2026.

Rescue operation challenges

• ▪The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) conducted sweeps and evacuations of climbers in the Mount Dukono area after the May 8, 2026 eruption.
• ▪The Mount Dukono rescue operation took place in rough terrain only accessible to vehicles part of the way up the slope.
• ▪Continued rumbling from the Mount Dukono eruption slowed down the evacuation operation.
• ▪Mount Dukono eruption victims needed to be carried on a stretcher for the portion of the rescue route inaccessible to vehicles.

Volcanic hazard warnings

• ▪Mount Dukono is currently on level two of Indonesia's four-tiered alert system.
• ▪Since December 2025, the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) recommended that tourists and climbers do not come within four kilometres of Mount Dukono's Malupang Warirang Crater.
• ▪Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates collide.
• ▪The area where ten hikers went missing on Mount Dukono was declared off-limits to visitors in April 2026 after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity.

Ignored safety restrictions

• ▪Many of the hikers on Mount Dukono were foreign tourists who wished to create social media content.
• ▪The hikers on Mount Dukono ignored social media appeals and warning signs put up at the entrance to the trail to stay away.

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