Bodies of missing hikers found in each other's arms after volcano erupts in Indonesia

Bodies belonging to two hikers missing after a volcano erupted in Indonesia have been found. 

The pair of Singaporean ​nationals were found holding each other under rock debris, following the eruption of Mount Dukono on Indonesia's Halmahera island.

Indonesia's rescue agency head, Iwan Ramdani, said the bodies were retrieved in a ‌difficult operation due to extreme terrain and rainfall, and were ​undergoing autopsy in a local hospital.

The evacuation was also hampered by continual eruptions from the volcano that has been spewing ash continually since beginning on Friday, and at its peak sent debris as high as six miles into the sky.

North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said on Friday that despite warnings on social media and signs at the site, "many people remain determined to climb, driven by the desire to create online content".

Hr added: "They were aware that climbing was prohibited as the mountain is a restricted zone due to its high alert status, but insisted on going ahead."

Around 150 people had been deployed to find the missing pair since Sunday morning, using thermal drones to search around the mountain's crater rim.

Rescuers on Saturday confirmed one missing Indonesian hiker was dead, while 17 people, ⁠including seven Singaporeans and 10 Indonesians, survived.

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The seven rescued Singaporeans will fly home on Sunday, the country's Foreign Ministry said.

It is unclear when the bodies of the two who died will be returned.

Indonesia's volcanology agency reported at least four eruptions as of Sunday, with one sending ⁠ash nearly a mile high into the air.

Mount Dukono is now on the third-highest alert level , and the agency has banned any activities within 2.5 miles of the crater.

(c) Sky News 2026: Bodies of missing hikers found in each other's arms after volcano erupts in Indonesia