Indonesia’s Mount Ibu volcano erupted on Saturday, spewing thick grey ash clouds into the sky and leading to evacuations in seven nearby villages.
Mount Ibu, located in North Maluku province, erupted on Saturday evening, shooting ash 4 km up into the sky as streaks of purple lightning flashed around its crater, according to data and images from Indonesia’s volcanology agency. The 1,325-meter-tall volcano is situated on the northwest coast of the remote island of Halmahera, home to over 700,000 people as of 2022.
A joint team comprising police, military, and search and rescue officials was dispatched immediately to the surrounding villages to begin the evacuation process, Abdul Muhari from the disaster mitigation agency said in a statement. While the agency did not specify how many people had been evacuated, authorities have recommended clearing a seven-kilometer radius around the volcano.
Following an eruption on Friday, the alert level for Mount Ibu was raised from 2 to 3, the second-highest level, which extends the area that needs to be vacated.
These eruptions are part of a recurring pattern in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has 127 active volcanoes. Recently, North Sulawesi’s Ruang volcano also erupted, prompting authorities to evacuate more than 12,000 people on a nearby island.
In addition to volcanic activity, Indonesia has faced other natural disasters. On May 11, at least 60 people died in flash floods triggered by heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down Mount Marapi on Sumatra island.
The repeated volcanic eruptions and related natural disasters underscore the challenges Indonesia faces as one of the most volcanically active regions in the world.
