JAKARTA, May 10 — Two Singaporean nationals missing for days were confirmed dead today from the eruption of Mount Dukono on Indonesia's Halmahera island.
The local rescue agency's head Iwan Ramdani told Reuters that rescuers found the bodies around the crater rim and that an evacuation is underway.
"Evacuation of the bodies is still hampered by eruptions that continue to occur and bad weather," he said, adding that rain was falling in the area.
Some 150 personnel with two thermal drones have been deployed since this morning, Iwan said, with the search focused around 100 to 150 metres from the crater rim.
Mount Dukono in North Maluku province, bordering the Pacific Ocean, began erupting on Friday, spewing ash as high as 10km. It has continued to erupt at a lower scale.
Iwan added that the area around the crater was still blanketed in volcanic ash, with the search area about 1.25km from the last known location of the victims.
Rescuers had found backpacks suspected to belong to the two Singaporeans, and the authorities had confirmed yesterday that one Indonesian hiker, who had gone missing, was dead.
Seventeen people, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians, survived the incident.
Singapore's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its seven surviving citizens will fly home today. It is unclear when the bodies of the two deceased will be returned.
Indonesia's volcanology agency reported at least four eruptions as of today, with one sending ash 1.3km high. The agency is maintaining the third-highest alert level for Mount Dukono and bans any activities within 4km of the crater.
