Doha: Three hikers were killed and several others remained missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Indonesia's Halmahera Island in North Maluku province, authorities said Friday. Local police said the victims included two foreign nationals and a resident of nearby Ternate Island, while search and rescue teams continued efforts to locate missing hikers in the mountainous area.

According to Qatar News Agency, Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) said Mount Dukono erupted early Friday, sending a thick column of volcanic ash nearly 10 kilometers into the sky and triggering what officials described as a loud "booming sound."

Lana Saria, head of the government's Geology Agency, warned that ash clouds drifting northward could affect residential areas and the city of Tobelo, posing health risks and potentially disrupting transportation services. Authorities also urged residents and tourists to avoid activities within a four-kilometer radius of the volcano's Malupang Warirang crater due to the risk of further eruptions and volcanic mudflows.

Mount Dukono, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, remains at the third-highest alert level under the country's four-tier volcanic warning system. Indonesia frequently experiences volcanic and seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.