Three dead after volcano erupts on Indonesian island

On Friday afternoon, Mount Dukono was still emitting volcanic material from its crater, according to one local resident assisting rescuers.Aldy Salabia told BBC Indonesian that they were at a local shelter on the mountain preparing for the rescue operation."From the shelter, we can see ash and rock material continuously being ejected," he said.Halmahera-police" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="124054" data-entity-type="organization">North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said that retrieval of the bodies, which are located at higher elevations, has been hampered by repeated eruptions, difficult terrain and strong blasts from the volcano.Besides the 20-member hiking group, eyewitness accounts indicate there were other hikers on the mountain as well.One guide who was on Mount Dukono with two clients at the time of the eruption told BBC Indonesian that he believed high pressure had been building up inside the volcano for several days. "When Dukono hasn't erupted for a few days, you have to be careful," he said, describing the eruption as "major" and "very strong".As they were hiking up, he saw one group of people at the edge of the crater, as well as another group about 50m from the crater who were filming drone videos.