Three hikers die in Dukono eruption, owner of open-trip operator named as suspect

Three hikers die in the Dukono eruption; owner of open-trip operator named as suspect.

The police have named a man identified as Reza Selang as the suspect in the deaths of three hikers during the Dukono eruption in North Halmahera, North Maluku.

North Halmahera Police Chief AKBP Erlichson Pasaribu said the designation of the suspect was based on the results of investigations and prosecutions, and the outcome of a case review, supported by testimony from a criminal law expert.

‘The man RS (Muh. Reza Selang) has been named as a suspect,’ Erlichson told reporters on Thursday (21 May).

For his actions, the suspect faces Article 474 paragraph 3 of the Indonesian Penal Code concerning negligence causing the death of a person, with a maximum imprisonment of five years or a Category V fine of Rp500 million.

‘The acts and role of RS are that he continued to run an open trip even though a circular from the Halut Tourism Office since 17 April 2026 stated that all activities including mountaineering had been closed entirely,’ Erlichson said.

‘Sebelum pendakian tersangka RS juga mengetahui status gunung berada di level 2 akan tetapi tetap melakukan pendakian tanpa berkordinasi dengan pos pantau yg di dalamnya ada petugas PVMBG,’ sambungnya.

In this case, police also seized several pieces of evidence, including one damaged mobile phone, one backpack, one green hiking bag, a set of trekking poles in damaged condition, and a drone equipment bag.

Dukono volcano in North Halmahera, North Maluku, erupted on Friday morning at 07:41 WIT, with the ash column rising to 10 km. The eruption was reported on the official site of the Center for Volcanology, Mitigation of Geologic Disasters (PVMBG).

According to Basarnas data, a total of 20 hikers were in the area at the time of the Dukono eruption. Seventeen were evacuated safely, but three were found dead.