Three people hiking on Indonesia’s Mount Dukono have died after the volcano erupted on Friday morning.

Videos and pictures of the eruption show the volcano, located on the North Maluku island, spewing a column of ash stretching 10 km (six miles) into the sky.

The three victims were part of a group of 20 Singaporeans and Indonesians hiking on the mountain despite restrictions. The rest of the group was eventually located by rescuers and evacuated from the mountain.

The volcano has erupted more than 200 times since last March. Officials had previously issued warnings against climbing the mountain due to safety concerns.

The latest eruption took place at 07:41 local time (22:41 GMT Thursday), when there were several people on the mountain on early morning hikes.

Indonesian officials said two Singaporeans and one local resident from the nearby city of Ternate had died. Both of the foreign victims are believed to be male, with one aged 30 and the other 27. The local victim is said to be a female, but no more details were given.

The bodies of the three deceased are still on the mountain, according to North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu – though most of the hiking group have been safely evacuated and sent to hospital.

Two members of the group, who are porters, stayed behind on the mountain to help rescue workers locate the bodies.

On Friday afternoon, Mount Dukono was still emitting volcanic material from its crater, according to one local resident assisting rescuers.

Aldy Salabia told BBC Indonesian that they were at a local shelter on the mountain preparing for the rescue operation.

“From the shelter, we can see ash and rock material continuously being ejected,” he said.

Erlichson said that retrieval of the bodies had been hampered by repeated eruptions, difficult terrain and strong blasts from the volcano.

The operation to reach the volcano’s crater – where the bodies of the victims are though to be located – was paused as night fell on Friday evening, with Erlichson saying it would resume on Saturday.

Besides the 20-member hiking group, eyewitness accounts indicate there were other hikers on the mountain as well.

One guide who was on Mount Dukono with two clients at the time of the eruption told BBC Indonesian that he believed high pressure had been building up inside the volcano for several days.

“When Dukono hasn’t erupted for a few days, you have to be careful,” he said, describing the eruption as “major” and “very strong”.

As they were hiking up, he saw one group of people at the edge of the crater, as well as another group about 50m from the crater who were filming drone videos.

Then, “I heard deep tremors. So I decided to immediately descend with the guests. And in the end, the three of us were safe.”

As they were descending, he saw many hikers were still at the summit, he added.

Indonesian officials said they had issued warnings against climbing Mount Dukono, which were widely disseminated through social media as well as on banners at trail entrances, but some hikers had ignored them.

Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Barsanas, said that initial discussions among authorities found there may have been “possible negligence by tourism operators or individuals” who proceeded with climbing Mount Dukono despite the warnings.

“The government is continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident,” it said.

Mount Dukono is currently listed at level two out of the Volcanological Survey of Indonesia’s four-tier volcano alert system, which indicates increased activity and a need for caution.

The agency said that since December 2024, it has recommended tourists and climbers to refrain from activities within a 4km radius of Mount Dukono’s main crater, where there are threats of ejected rocks, ash and lava.

Still, that has not deterred hikers from heading up the 1,335m-tall mountain.

“Dukono is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia,” said Siti Sumilah Rita Susilawati, Head of Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

Speaking to reporters, Susilawati said the no-go zone was a “recommendation” that the agency made to local governments, adding that they had “communicated it with the local community.”

Dr Daryono, from the Indonesian Association of Disaster Experts, said that the incident “once again demonstrated that active volcanoes can never be treated as ordinary tourist destinations.”

“Dukono is a mountain with almost continuous eruptive activity, so any violation of the danger zone carries a fatal risk,” he told the BBC.

“On social media, the public often sees videos of climbers or influencers who successfully ascend and return safely. Such content slowly creates a distorted risk perception.

“The public only sees those who successfully descend and post dramatic content, while potential threats that did not occur at the time become invisible. The real danger remains and could emerge at any time in the form of ejections of incandescent material, thick ashfall, volcanic gas, or sudden explosive eruptions.”

Additional reporting by Koh Ewe

Three people have died and a UK national is seriously ill in hospital after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a small cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

The operator of the MV Hondius ship, tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, said a Dutch husband and wife, as well as a German national, have died but the cause has not yet been established.

However, the Dutch company said hantavirus has been confirmed in the case of the 69-year-old UK national who is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Hantavirus is usually passed to humans from rodents via their faeces, saliva or urine. It can cause severe respiratory illness. Rarely, it can be transmitted between people.

Oceanwide Expeditions said there were two crew members on board “with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe”.

They both require urgent medical care and are of British and Dutch nationality, it said, before adding that no other persons with symptoms had been identified at this time.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was “acting with urgency” to support the MV Hondius and thanked South African authorities for taking care of the British patient.

WHO’s regional director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, said: “I am in close contact with our teams to ensure a co-ordinated, science-based response.

“Hantavirus infections are uncommon and usually linked to exposure to infected rodents.

“While severe in some cases, it is not easily transmitted between people. The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”

The MV Hondius vessel is currently off the coast of Cape Verde and has 149 people onboard.

Negotiations are in progress with local authorities following what Oceanwide Expeditions described as “a serious medical situation”.

Outlining a timeline, the company said a passenger became unwell while onboard and died on 11 April.

His cause of death could not be determined, and his body was taken off the ship after it docked at St Helena on 24 April.

The wife also disembarked on St Helena and the firm said it was told she became unwell during the return journey and later died.

“At this time, it has not been confirmed that these two deaths are connected to the current medical situation on board,” Oceanwide Expeditions added.

On 27 April, the firm said, another passenger – the British national – became seriously ill and was “medically evacuated” to South Africa.

The 69-year-old remains in a critical but stable condition in Johannesburg after it was confirmed a variant of hantavirus had been identified.

The firm added that on Saturday, a third passenger onboard MV Hondius died.

Although the cause of death has not been established, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed the passenger was German.

“In addition, there are currently two crew members on board with acute respiratory symptoms, one mild and one severe,” the firm said.

“Both require urgent medical care. These crew members are of British and Dutch nationality,” it said.

Oceanwide Expeditions said the cause of the deaths were being investigated.

“The disembarkation of passengers, medical evacuation and medical screening require permission from, and co-ordination with, the local health authorities.

“Local health authorities have visited the vessel and assessed the situation. The medical transfer of the two ill persons on board has not yet taken place,” the company said.

According to the South African government, MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina about three weeks ago, before it completed its journey to Cape Verde, where it is anchored outside the capital, Praia.

It is described as a 107.6m (353ft) polar cruise ship, with space for 170 passengers in 80 cabins, along with 57 crew members, 13 guides and one doctor.

One passenger onboard the MV Hondius, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC: “The latest word is that a plane is on its way and once it gets here three people will be evacuated from the ship and flown straight to Europe.

“Then the rest of us will almost certainly sail to the Canary Islands.

“The Cape Verde authorities clearly want nothing to do with us. This is what we’re hearing from the captain and staff. From what I can see the mood (on the ship) is pretty good.

“Only one person has been tested (the one now in South Africa) and he tested positive for hantavirus. So, we don’t actually know yet if the other cases are that or something unrelated.

“If they are all hantavirus then the transmission is a bit mysterious. We’ve been informed that there are no rodents on board, and person-to-person transmission is difficult/rare.

“Hopefully the other patients on board will be tested soon and then we’ll know better what’s going on.”

President of the Cape Verdean Public Health Institute, Maria Da Luz, said passengers would not be disembarking in Cape Verde in order to protect the local population, Cape Verde’s media outlet A Nacao reports.

Microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles told the BBC the time between exposure to hantavirus and symptom onset could be as long as eight weeks.

“With this incubation period are we going to see more people coming down with the disease in the next days and weeks?”

Oceanwide Expeditions said it is liaising with local authorities and is also preparing for a “possible medical repatriation”.

The option of sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands is “being considered”.

Strict precautionary measures are in process on board, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols and medical monitoring,” the Oceanwide Expeditions added.

“All passengers have been informed and are being supported. Oceanwide Expeditions is in close contact with those directly involved and their families, and is providing support where possible.”

The UK Foreign Office told the BBC it was monitoring reports, and ready to support British nationals.

Hantavirus was in the headlines last year after the wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman died from a respiratory illness linked to hantavirus in March 2025.

bbc.com

The Ghana High Commission in Pretoria has urged members of the Ghanaian community in South Africa to exercise heightened caution ahead of planned demonstrations over immigration issues.

This is on the back of reports and viral videos of xenophobic incidents targeting foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, in some parts of the country.

In a notice issued on Tuesday, April 28, the mission advised Ghanaians, particularly those in Pretoria, to prioritise their personal safety as a group identified as the March Organisation prepares to march to the Presidency to present its grievances.

“I urge everyone to continue exercising heightened vigilance and to place the highest priority on personal safety during this period,” the statement said on behalf of the High Commissioner, Benjamin Anani Quashie.

The High Commission specifically called on Ghanaian shop owners to shut their businesses for the day and avoid areas where protests are expected.

“Shop owners are strongly encouraged to close their businesses for the day and avoid areas where protests or demonstrations are taking place,” it said.

It also cautioned nationals against taking part in any public gatherings that could escalate into confrontations.

“Please refrain from participating in public gatherings that could escalate into confrontation,” the statement added.

Ghanaians were further advised to maintain a low profile and act with discretion both in public and online, including avoiding the sharing of content that could be seen as provocative or inflammatory.

The High Commission said it would provide further updates as the situation develops.

citinewsroom.com