A harrowing search for two missing hikers ended tragically as their bodies were discovered in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. The search effort, which spanned a full day, has left many grieving.
Heng Wen Qiang Timothy, aged 30, and Shahin Muhrez bin Abdul Hamid, 27, both from Singapore, were found beneath rock debris on Indonesia’s Halmahera Island. The pair were found embracing each other in a poignant scene following the eruption of Mount Dukono, which occurred on Friday.
Rescue teams faced formidable challenges during their retrieval mission, which took place on Sunday. The operation was described as extremely complicated due to the island’s steep terrain and unrelenting rain. Iwan Ramdani, the local rescue agency chief, noted that ongoing volcanic activity further complicated the efforts.
Approximately 150 rescuers participated in the operation, employing two thermal drones to aid their search. The teams focused their efforts on a particularly perilous zone surrounding the crater rim, a region fraught with falling debris and unstable ground.
With the discovery of the hikers’ bodies, officials have announced the conclusion of the search operation. The tragic end underscores the dangers inherent in exploring volatile natural landscapes.
Officials reported that the search operation has now concluded.
Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province near the Pacific Ocean, began erupting on Friday.
The initial eruption sent ash soaring as high as 10 kilometres above the summit, according to Indonesian authorities.
The eruption killed three people, including the two Singaporean nationals and an Indonesian woman, identified by officials only as Enjel.
Enjel was discovered on Saturday afternoon, with rescue teams saying she was located alongside her backpack near the edge of the volcano’s crater.
Images shared by the rescue agency showed a team carrying a black body bag on a makeshift stretcher down the mountain.
Footage from the eruption, reportedly captured by a local guide, showed large plumes of smoke emerging from the crater as hikers hastily made their way down the mountain.
“Oh my god, the rocks are coming,” he can be heard saying.
“Oh, it’s killed them. Oh my god, they died. It’s killed them,” he added.
“Today is Friday, May 8. We are lucky, we already climbed down.”
A group of around 20 hikers reportedly ignored multiple social media appeals and warning signs posted at the entrance to the trail to Mount Dukono to stay away, according to police chief Erlichson Pasarib.
Seventeen of the walkers, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians, survived the incident.
In a statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the seven surviving Singaporeans were scheduled to return home on Sunday. It remains unclear when the bodies of the two deceased Singaporean nationals will be repatriated.
While the volcano has continued to erupt at a lower intensity since then, the activity has remained dangerous for those in proximity.
Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation reported at least four eruptions as of Sunday, including one that still managed to send ash nearly 1.5 kilometres into the air.
The agency has maintained its third‑highest alert level for Mount Dukono and has banned all activities within a four-kilometer radius of the crater.
According to a statement from Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, authorities are now considering “possible negligence by tourism operators or individuals” who proceeded with climbing the volcano despite an official closure of the area.
“The government is continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident,” the statement read.
It added that Indonesia’s tourism ministry has since issued a letter closing the Mount Dukono hiking area out of safety concerns for visitors and local communities.
Meanwhile, those who accompanied the hikers up the mountain will be questioned by police.
The bodies of the two Singaporean men were due to undergo an autopsy in a local hospital on Sunday.
Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region known for its frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions caused by ongoing tectonic plate movements.
The country is home to more than 120 active volcanoes, and eruptions are a regular event, particularly in remote or mountainous regions.
