Mount Dukono eruption: S’porean hiker, 27, was newlywed about to move into Sengkang flat
The second Singaporean who died in the Mount Dukono eruption has been identified as 27-year-old Shahin Muhrez Abdul Hamid, with loved ones mourning the nature lover’s passing.
Mr Shahin is one of two Singaporeans who died from the eruption of Mount Dukono on May 8. The first Singaporean victim has been identified as 30-year-old Timothy Heng. Mr Heng and Mr Shahin were part of a group of 20 hikers — nine Singaporeans and 11 Indonesians — who trekked up the active mountain on May 7. The tragedy also claimed the life of an Indonesian woman.
In an interview with The Straits Times, Indonesian guide Reza Selang, who led the expedition, said Mr Heng had gone back up the mountain to rescue his friend. Seeing Mr Shahin unconscious, Mr Heng, who organised the trip, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Mr Shahin regained consciousness, but was unable to move. As Mr Reza and Mr Heng attempted to carry him down the mountain while hot ash and rock rained, a boulder crashed down, pinning both Singaporeans between rocks. Unable to move the boulder and left with no choice, Mr Reza ran back down the mountain to safety.
Described as the family’s cheerleader
Mr Shahin was scheduled to return to Singapore on May 10 before tragedy struck.
His mother, Noraini Ibrahim, told Malay newspaper Berita Harian that learning of his death felt “like the wall I was leaning on was collapsing.”
The youngest of four siblings, the 64-year-old teacher described her son as the family’s cheerleader. “All his devotion and love is irreplaceable.”
She added that two family members were in Tobelo, North Maluku, to make arrangements for Shahin’s remains.
Recently married, just collected keys to flat
Mr Shahin also leaves behind his wife, Nurina Iffah Jusmani, also 27 years old. The couple tied the knot in October last year and had just collected the keys to their Sengkang flat. Mr Shahin worked as a technician at ExxonMobil.
Ms Nurina described her husband as a nature lover, having conquered the summit of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah just months ago. A hiking enthusiast, Mr Shahin had already climbed three mountains when he travelled to the North Maluku region, where Mount Dukomo is located.
“Although Allah only lent me Shahin for six months, it was in that short time that I received an incomparable kind of love,” she said.
In a statement on May 10, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson said the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta was working closely with Indonesian authorities in Tobelo to formally identify the two bodies.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is in close contact with the families to facilitate the identification and will continue to provide consular assistance,” the spokesperson said.
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