A volcano eruption kills three hikers in a no-go zone

Three hikers died when Mount Dukono, a volcano on Halmahera island in North Maluku, erupted early on Friday 8 May 2026. As the Guardian reports, the eruption threw a column of ash about 10 kilometres into the sky, and a second blast the next day rose some 3,000 metres above the crater. Of 20 hikers on the mountain's slopes, three died and 15 got down safely, some with minor injuries.

The three who died, two climbers from Singapore and an Indonesian woman known as Enjel, had entered a restricted area. A no-go zone of 4 kilometres around the crater has been in place since December 2024, and the climbing routes were formally closed in April. Rescuers, more than 100 people using drones, found the woman's body about 50 metres from the crater rim, but the two Singaporeans had not been found as searches were slowed by further eruptions. The local police chief, Erlichson Pasaribu, said the group's guide and porter could face criminal charges for leading the hikers past the warnings. Officials said some visitors, many of them foreign tourists, had ignored the danger to "create content" for social media.

Indonesia has nearly 130 active volcanoes along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a belt of frequent earthquakes and eruptions, so closures and alert levels are a normal part of life near these mountains.

Why it matters

If you hike or plan trips to Indonesia's volcanoes, this is a blunt reminder that exclusion zones and route closures exist to keep you alive, not to spoil the view. It also raises the question of who is responsible when guides take paying visitors into banned areas. Watch whether officials tighten checks on tour operators after these deaths.