Search for two Singaporeans at Mount Dukono hampered by eruptions and\nrain<\/p>\n
Authorities told CNA that several local guides are under probe for\nbringing a group of Singaporean tourists and Indonesian nationals close\nto the crater, despite the area within a 4km radius being closed for any\nactivities.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: The search for two missing Singaporean hikers after a\nvolcanic eruption of Mount Dukono was still hampered by continuous\neruptions and bad weather on Sunday (May 10), Indonesian authorities\nsaid, though they were feared to be dead.<\/p>\n
North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said several local\nguides are under probe and could face possible legal action for bringing\na group of Singaporean tourists and Indonesian nationals close to the\ncrater, despite the area within a 4km radius being closed for any\nactivities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guides are currently under investigation for alleged negligence\nresulting in another person\u2019s death,\u201d Erlichson told CNA.<\/p>\n
He added that the offence carries a possible jail term of up to five\nyears under Indonesia\u2019s Disaster Management Law and other public safety\nregulations.<\/p>\n
No one has been detained as of Sunday, said Erlichson.<\/p>\n
Some 150 personnel with two thermal drones have been deployed since\nSunday morning, head of local rescue agency Iwan Ramdani said, with the\nfocus of the search around 100-150 metres of the crater rim.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, Mount Dukono continues to erupt and rain is also falling in\nthe area. We carry out rescue efforts during intervals when there are no\neruptions,\u201d Iwan told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province bordering the Pacific\nOcean, began erupting on Friday, spewing ash as high as 10km. It has\ncontinued to erupt at a lower scale ever since.<\/p>\n
The area around the crater was still blanketed in volcanic ash, Iwan\nsaid, adding that search covers area around 1.25 km from the last known\nlocation of the victims.<\/p>\n
Rescuers have found backpacks suspected to belong to the two\nSingaporeans. Survivors told police they believe the pair had died,\npolice chief Erlichson had said.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the local search and rescue agency identified the two\nmissing Singaporean hikers as Heng Wen Qiang Timothy, 30, and Shahin\nMuhrez bin Abdul Hamid, 27, as it published a list of the survivors and\nmissing.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s disaster mitigation agency BNPB said the two Singaporeans\nwere located about 20m to 30m from the volcano\u2019s main crater, but rescue\nefforts could not proceed because of extreme terrain conditions and\nheightened volcanic activity around Mount Dukono.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, rescuers recovered the body of an Indonesian national\nbelieved to be a woman named Angel, said Iwan. The body will be brought\nto a regional hospital for identification.<\/p>\n
A local tour guide, citing fellow guides, said that the victims had\napparently taken a faster but more dangerous route up Mount Dukono,\nalthough it remains unclear whether the path was unofficial.<\/p>\n
Seventeen people, including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians,\nsurvived the incident.<\/p>\n
The seven Singaporeans evacuated will return home on Sunday, said\nSingapore\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s volcanology agency reported at least three eruptions as\nof Sunday morning, with the highest spewing 1.3 km of volcanic ash, it\nsaid in a statement.<\/p>\n
The agency is still maintaining the third-highest alert level for\nMount Dukono and bans any activities within 4 km of the crater.<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Denny Armandhanu<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/search-for-two-singaporeans-at-mount-dukono-hampered-by-eruptions-and-rain-1778390196", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }