Indonesian authorities have launched a search and rescue operation for 20 hikers after Mount Dukono erupted on Halmahera Island on Friday, a local rescue agency official told Reuters.
Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province, erupted at 07:41am local time (1041 GMT Thursday). The eruption sent volcanic ash up to 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) into the sky, according to the country’s volcanology agency.
The agency kept the volcano under the third-highest alert level, said agency head Lana Saria in a statement.
Iwan Ramdani, head of the local rescue agency, said to Reuters that dozens of personnel, including police, have joined the search operation for the trapped hikers.
He said 20 hikers remain stranded. Nine of them are Singaporean nationals, while the rest are Indonesians.
Authorities have warned residents to stay away from the area within 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) of the crater.
The volcanology agency also warned of possible volcanic mudflows during rainfall.
No flight disruptions have been reported so far due to the eruption.
