Authorities ordered evacuations after a volcano on a remote Indonesian island erupted, sending a plume of gray ash into the air, local media reported Sunday.
“Mount Ibu, located on the island of Halmahera, erupted on the evening of May 18, and the ash was four kilometers high,” said the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG).
The center’s Abdul Muhari said residents of at least seven villages were evacuated by joint teams comprising the police, army and search and rescue officials.
The number of people evacuated was not given, but authorities recommended evacuating a radius of seven kilometers.
The PVMBG raised the volcano’s alert level to its highest level on May 16, after Mount Ibu erupted multiple times earlier in May.
Located on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, Indonesia, the largest populous Muslim country, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity with 127 active volcanoes.
Since May 11, flash floods and cold lava flows from Mount Marapi, one of the most active in West Sumatra province, have engulfed several nearby districts following heavy rains, killing more than 60 people.
Last month, volcanic eruptions in North Sulawesi province caused the cancellation of dozens of flights, affecting thousands of passengers, as authorities closed Sam Ratulangi Airport.
