At least three members of a hiking group were killed after a volcano on a remote Indonesian island exploded.
A group of 20 hikers ventured out on Thursday in defiance of a hiking ban imposed by authorities due to the potential for a volcanic eruption on the island of Halmahera.
Halmahera is home to the nearly 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano, Mount Dukono.
The hikers found themselves stranded when the volcano blew at 7:41 a.m. local time. The eruption sent a massive cloud of ash soaring to an altitude of about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) above the summit.
The eruption was not only powerful but also long in duration, as the Indonesian Geological Agency clocked the eruption at 16 minutes.
“They were aware that climbing was prohibited as the mountain is the restricted zone due to its high alert status, but insisted on going ahead,” said North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu in a television interview.
Rescuers report that they have successfully evacuated 14 hikers, including 7 foreign nationals.
Three men — two Singaporean and one Indonesian national — died at the scene, Pasaribu said.
The bodies of the three deceased climbers have not been retrieved, however, due to the continued threat of further eruptions.
“The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has long banned activities within a 4‑kilometer (2.5‑mile) radius of Dukono’s crater, citing hazards such as volcanic bombs, ashfall, and toxic gases,” the AP reports. “Officials believe the hikers were inside the restricted zone at the time of the eruption.”
The AP added, “Mount Dukono is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and has been erupting almost continuously since 1933. Indonesia sits along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity, and is home to more than 120 active volcanoes.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.