Jakarta, May 9 (SANA) Twenty people, including nine Singaporeans, were reported missing Friday after Mount Dukono erupted on Indonesia’s eastern island of Halmahera, sending a thick column of smoke and volcanic ash nearly 10 kilometers into the atmosphere.
Indonesian rescue official Iwan Ramdani said search and rescue teams had been deployed to the affected area to look for the missing and assess the situation on the ground, according to Agence France-Presse.
Authorities said it was not yet clear whether there were casualties or injuries, although preliminary reports indicated around 20 people were unaccounted for in areas affected by the eruption.
Mount Dukono is among Indonesia’s most active volcanoes and lies within the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active region known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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