JAKARTA, Indonesia: A volcano on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera has erupted spectacularly, spewing a grey ash cloud into the sky and prompting the evacuation of people from seven nearby villages, authorities said on Sunday.
Mt. Ibu erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash 4 km (2.5 miles) high, accompanied by streaks of purple lightning around its crater, according to Indonesia’s volcanology agency.
A joint team of police, military, and search and rescue officials was dispatched to evacuate residents from surrounding villages, stated Abdul Muhari from the disaster mitigation agency. Photos shared by the agency depicted authorities assisting the elderly, while other residents were transported in pick-up trucks and accommodated in emergency tents for the night.
The agency did not provide details on the number of people moved, but authorities have recommended that a seven-km (4.35-mile) radius be cleared.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency raised the alert level of the volcano to the highest level on Thursday after Mt. Ibu erupted multiple times earlier this month.
Indonesia, which is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has 127 active volcanoes, has a sequence of volcano eruptions that are followed by Ibu’s actions. After torrential rain on May 11, several neighboring districts were drenched in flash floods and a cool lava flow from Mount Marapi, one of the most active in the province of West Sumatra, which killed over sixty people. Additionally, the Ruang volcano in North Sulawesi erupted in recent weeks, ejecting over 12,000 people from a nearby island and spitting flame-like lava.
