Indonesian Mount Ibu Volcano Erupts

On Sunday, a volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted, spewing an ash tower more than two miles high and forcing officials to advise people to stay away.

Mount Ibu, located on the island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted at 12:37 am (1537 GMT Saturday), spewing a dense column of dark smoke and ash west of the top.

In a statement, Axl Roeroe, an official at Mount Ibu’s monitoring post, stated, “The eruption lasted more than three minutes and the ash towered 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) above the peak”.

“To residents and tourists near Mount Ibu, please do not conduct any activity within a 2 kilometre radius (of the crater)”, Roeroe added.

The 1,325-metre (4,347-foot) volcano’s warning level remained at a two on the four-tiered system, and no evacuation orders were issued following the eruption.

However, authorities advised people to wear face masks and glasses when participating in outdoor activities and to be prepared for falling volcanic ash.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, sees frequent seismic and volcanic activity as a result of its location on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’.

Earlier this month, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi erupted, causing many to flee.

The Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, which is over 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the crater, was also closed for days.

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