Missing hikers found dead and holding each other after volcano erupts

The bodies of two hikers who went missing after the eruption of a volcano have been found, bringing a day-long search effort to a tragic end.Singaporean ​nationals Heng Wen Qiang Timothy, 30, and Shahin Muhrez bin Abdul Hamid, 27, were found holding each other under rock debris, following the eruption of Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s Halmahera island on Friday (local time).On Sunday, rescuers retrieved the men’s remains in what they described as an extremely complicated operation due to steep terrain and persistent rainfall.The evacuation, which involved around 150 personnel, armed with two thermal drones, was also hampered by ongoing volcanic activity, according to local rescue agency chief Iwan Ramdani.The search teams focused on an area roughly 350 to 500 feet around the crater rim, a zone considered particularly dangerous due to falling debris and unstable ground.Officials reported that the search operation has now concluded.Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province near the Pacific Ocean, began erupting on Friday.The initial eruption sent ash soaring as high as 10 kilometres above the summit, according to Indonesian authorities.The eruption killed three people, including the two Singaporean nationals and an Indonesian woman, identified by officials only as Enjel.Enjel was discovered on Saturday afternoon, with rescue teams saying she was located alongside her backpack near the edge of the volcano’s crater.Images shared by the rescue agency showed a team carrying a black body bag on a makeshift stretcher down the mountain.Footage from the eruption, reportedly captured by a local guide, showed large plumes of smoke emerging from the crater as hikers hastily made their way down the mountain.“Oh my god, the rocks are coming,” he can be heard saying.“Oh, it’s killed them.Oh my god, they died.

It’s killed them,” he added.“Today is Friday, May 8.We are lucky, we already climbed down.”A group of around 20 hikers reportedly ignored multiple ...