JAKARTA, May 8 — ‌Indonesian authorities are rushing to rescue 20 hikers after the eruption of Mount Dukono on Halmahera ‌island today, a local rescue agency official told Reuters.

Mount Dukono, located in North Maluku province, erupted today at 7.41am local time (1041 GMT yesterday/6.41am Malaysian time), spewing volcanic ash as high as 10km into the sky, the country’s volcanology agency said.

The agency ‌maintained the alert status at ⁠the mountain at its third ⁠highest level, agency ⁠head Lana Saria said ⁠in ⁠a statement.

Iwan Ramdani, the head of the local rescue agency, told Reuters that they ⁠have deployed dozens of personnel, including police, to search for the 20 hikers trapped by the eruption.

Nine of the hikers are Singaporean and ⁠the rest are Indonesians, Iwan said.

Authorities warned residents to refrain from any activities within ⁠4km of the crater.

The volcanology ⁠agency ⁠also warned of the risks of volcanic mudflow when it rains.

There are not yet ‌any reports of flight disruptions caused by the eruption. — Reuters