Mount Dukono Great Eruption This Morning, Thick Ash Surrounds Halmahera Sky

JAKARTA - Mount Dukono in North Halmahera, North Maluku, erupted twice on Monday morning with ash column gusts as high as more than one kilometer above the peak.

Head of the Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Muhammad Wafid said the eruption occurred at 06.22 WIT with a column of ash about one kilometer above the peak or 2,087 meters above sea level.

Geological Agency Volcano Monitoring Officers in North Halmahera reported that the ash column of the eruption was observed to be white to gray with thick intensity and leaning towards the east.

The second eruption occurred at 07.09 WIT with an eruptive column about 1.6 kilometers above the peak or 2,687 meters above sea level. The ash column was also observed to be white to gray and pointed east with thick intensity.

The eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 20 millimeters and a duration of 62.82 seconds.

"When this report was made, the eruption was still ongoing," said Muhammad Wafid, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, May 26.

Currently, Mount Dukono is at Level II or Alert status. The Geological Agency recommends that people, visitors, and tourists do not move within a 4 kilometer radius of the Maupang Warirang crater.

Residents are also advised to always provide masks or nasal and mouth coverings to anticipate the impact of volcanic ash which can disrupt the respiratory system, especially because the spread of ash can change following the direction and speed of the wind.