Open-trip to Mount Dukono Ends in Tragedy as Organiser Is Named a Suspect After Three Climbers Die

North Halmahera, VIVA – The North Halmahera Police Resort (Polres North Halmahera) has named the organiser of an open-trip climb of Mount Dukono, identified as RS alias Anak Esa, as a suspect in connection with the deaths of three climbers during the eruption of Gunung Api Dukono in North Maluku. The three victims were two foreign nationals and one Indonesian who were trapped when the volcano erupted on Friday, 8 May 2026. The North Halmahera Police Chief, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Erlichson Pasaribu, said the designation of RS as a suspect followed a series of investigations and examinations, including requesting statements from a criminal-law expert. ‘RS has been designated as a suspect,’ said AKBP Erlichson Pasaribu, on Thursday, 21 May 2026. RS is known to be a provider of open-trip climbs of Mount Dukono. Police stated that the suspect continued to offer climbing trips even though the area around the mountain had been closed by the regional government via a circular since 17 April 2026. ‘Before the climb the suspect RS also knew that the volcano was at level 2. Yet he still conducted the climb without coordinating with the monitoring post that includes PVMBG staff (Geology, Volcano Monitoring and Disaster Mitigation Center),’ he said. As a result, RS is charged under Article 474(3) of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) for alleged negligence causing the death of a person, with a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment or a Category V fine of Rp500 million. Earlier reports stated that Mount Dukono’s eruption claimed lives in North Halmahera, North Maluku. The three climbers were reported dead after being trapped when the volcano erupted on Friday, 8 May 2026. The victims consisted of two foreign nationals from Singapore and one Indonesian national born in Jayapura. ‘Yes, three died, namely two Singaporeans and one local born in Jayapura,’ said North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu when contacted. According to Erlichson, the victims were trapped in the Mount Dukono area when the eruption occurred.