On Monday, Mount Ibu, a volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted, sending a massive ash tower more than five kilometres (three miles) into the sky after authorities raised the alert level to the second-highest last week.
There was no immediate word of damage or casualties, but photographs showed an ash column shooting into the sky over Halmahera island in North Maluku province.
Authorities reported that it reached more than five kilometres above the volcano’s peak, making it one of the most powerful eruptions in recent months.
In a statement, Geology Agency head Muhammad Wafid stated, “The grey-black ash column was observed with thick intensity, leaning towards the west”.
Wafid advised nearby residents to use facemasks and glasses when stepping outside to avoid falling volcanic ash.
On Saturday, the volcano erupted on a smaller scale, spouting lava, and spitting ash several kilometres into the night sky, as well as producing lightning.
On Monday, the alert level remained at the second-highest of a four-tiered system, with an exclusion zone of three and five kilometres (two to three miles) around the volcano’s crater.
Ibu is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos, having erupted more than 21,000 times last year.
Sofyan Primulyana, a Geology Agency official, stated that Ibu had 58 eruptions per day on average in 2023.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, sees frequent seismic and volcanic activity as a result of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last month, causing thousands of residents of nearby islands to evacuate and it is still on high alert.
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