Multiple hikers killed, others rescued after volcano erupts in Indonesia

National search and rescue authority BASARNAS has not yet confirmed the deaths or nationalities.

Nine foreigners and 11 local hikers were climbing Mount Dukono at the time of the eruption, North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu told Indonesian Kompas TV.

All surviving climbers had successfully descended the mountain, he added late Friday afternoon local time.

Due to ongoing volcanic activity, rescue teams have been unable to retrieve the bodies of the three dead, Pasaribu said.

Dramatic video footage shows a huge column of smoke and ash rising above the mountain near the crater, recorded by Alex Djangu, an Indonesian mountain guide.

Djangu was guiding two German tourists on Mount Dukono when he felt deep tremors before the eruption, telling CNN it was “very scary.”

“I saw the small rocks and gravel sliding down because of the vibrations, and then I told my clients to run down,” he said.

While Djangu and his group were able to evacuate safely, he said many hikers remained in the crater at the time of the eruption.

“When we were about 100 meters away, I saw two groups of local tourists, one group of nine people already close to the edge and the other one was filming for content.”

“I hope they’re still alive,” he says in the video.

The volcano, he said, is very active and continued to erupt “with supersonic noise” Friday afternoon.

Mount Dukono is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. Authorities have noted increased activity since the end of March.

“If Mount Dukono doesn’t erupt for several days, people should be careful because very high pressure could build up. And that’s what happened today,” Djangu said in the video.

Rescue teams were seen on the mountain on Friday carrying at least one injured person on a stretcher through the forest, in photos from Indonesian national search and rescue organization BASARNAS.

Indonesia is located on the “Ring of Fire”, a band around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes and volcanic activity occur regularly.

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