Indonesian authorities are trying to locate three missing hikers after rescuing 17 people trapped by the volcanic eruption of Mount Dukono on Halmahera island, a local rescue agency official said.
Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province, erupted at 7.41am local time, spewing volcanic ash as high as 10km into the sky, the country's volcanology agency said.
The agency maintained the alert status at the mountain at its third highest level.
Footage from the agency showed a huge cloud of hot ash billowing from the crater and blanketing the slopes of the volcano.
Volcanic activities in Mount Dukono decreased last year but picked up again at the end of March, with nearly 200 small-scale eruptions.
The local rescue agency said earlier that 20 hikers were trapped by the eruption, including nine Singaporeans and 11 Indonesians.
The head of the local rescue agency said that 17 people had been found and evacuated and the search is still on for the three hikers who remain missing.
Survivors said three people, including two Singaporeans, died in the eruption, a local police chief said, but the rescue agency has yet to confirm the deaths.
Climbing in Mount Dukono had been banned since an earlier eruption in 2024.
Authorities warned residents to refrain from any activities within 4km of the crater.
The volcanology agency also warned of the risks of volcanic mudflow when it rains.
There are not yet any reports of flight disruptions caused by the eruption.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates.
