Editor-DN
Jakarta:
A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Saturday, spewing hot lava and a plume of smoke and ash, an official said. I left for four kilometers (3.1 miles).
Mount Ibu, on Halmahera Island in North Maluku province, erupted at 7:45 p.m. Central Indonesia Time (1145 GMT), sending a tall column of flames into the sky.
“Lava was seen two kilometers away from the epicenter,” Geological Agency chief Mohammad Wafid said in a statement.
Photos from the volcano monitoring post show a bright red column of flames and thick, dark smoke rising above the crater.
The volcano is still at the second highest alert level.
No new evacuation orders have been issued, but pilgrims and villagers have been asked to evacuate an area four to 5.5 kilometers from the peak.
The agency also urged people to wear face masks and safety glasses in case of volcanic ash rain.
Ibu is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, having erupted more than 2,000 times in the past year.
According to official figures, by 2022 more than 700,000 people lived on Halmahera Island.
Indonesia, a vast peninsular country, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
Last year, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents from nearby islands to evacuate.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
