The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) has officially confirmed that all individuals previously reported missing following the Mount Dukono eruption have been located. With the recovery of the final two victims, the joint search and rescue (SAR) operation has now been concluded.
Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Center for Disaster Data, Information, and Communication, announced on Sunday (May 10) in Jakarta that the search mission reached a successful resolution after days of intensive effort. Previously, the SAR team had recovered one Indonesian citizen, identified by the initial E, who was found deceased. The recovery of two additional victims—identified as HWQT (a 30-year-old foreign national) and SMBAH (a 27-year-old foreign national)—marks the end of the search phase.
Following their recovery, the SAR team evacuated the remains to the Mount Dukono emergency response post before transferring them to Tobelo Regional General Hospital for formal identification and further processing.
The final stage of the rescue operation was significantly more targeted, as the team utilized GPS coordinates gathered during the previous day’s reconnaissance to pinpoint areas buried under thick layers of volcanic sand. Despite these precise efforts, responders faced significant challenges; the victims were buried deep beneath volcanic material, and the mountain’s ongoing, fluctuating volcanic activity forced the team to prioritize personnel safety while maneuvering through the hazardous terrain.
The three-day operation saw the deployment of 98 personnel divided into four specialized squads. The mission involved a wide coalition of responders, including Basarnas, the North Halmahera Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Indonesian Army (TNI AD), the Navy (TNI AL), Police units (Polairud and Brimobda), ERT Gosowong, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), and local community members.
In addition to the three fatalities, 15 other individuals were safely rescued from the area. The success of the operation was aided by two survivors, identified as RS and JA, who provided critical information regarding the climbing routes and the exact positions of the group before the volcanic emergency occurred.
Victims Deceased:
- E, female, Indonesian citizen
- HWQT, male, 30, foreign national
- SMBAH, male, 27, foreign national
Survivors:
- TYME, male, 30, Singaporean
- OSS, female, 37, foreign national
- PL, female, 33, foreign national
- LHEI, female, 31, foreign national
- TJYG, female, 30, foreign national
- LYXV, female, 30, foreign national
- LSD, male, 29, foreign national
- BB, male, 24, Indonesian citizen
- YL, male, 23, Indonesian citizen
- S, male, 26, Indonesian citizen
- A, male, 22, Indonesian citizen
- H, male, 26, Indonesian citizen
- FN, female, 27, Indonesian citizen
- RI, female, 29, Indonesian citizen
- SJ, male, 48, Indonesian citizen
Summary
The Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) has concluded its search and rescue operation following the eruption of Mount Dukono, confirming that all missing individuals have been accounted for. A dedicated team of 98 personnel successfully located the three deceased victims, identified as E, HWQT, and SMBAH, buried under volcanic sand. The remains were transported to Tobelo Regional General Hospital for formal identification following the evacuation process.
In addition to the three fatalities, 15 other climbers were safely rescued from the disaster site. The operation relied on critical intelligence from two survivors and utilized GPS data to navigate hazardous terrain amidst ongoing volcanic activity. All rescued survivors have since been evacuated, successfully bringing the intensive three-day search mission to a close.
