Indonesia‘s Ibu volcano erupted on Monday morning, sending thick columns of grey ash several kilometres into the sky, according to the country’s volcanology agency.
The eruption occurred at 9:12 a.m. (0012 GMT) on the remote island of Halmahera and lasted about five minutes, with ash reaching heights of up to 5 km (3.1 miles), officials said. A smaller eruption was also recorded on Friday.
The volcano’s alert status remains at the second-highest level, said Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre. As a precautionary measure, all activities within a five-kilometre radius of the volcano have been prohibited.
Hendra advised people near the volcano to wear masks and glasses in case of ash rain. Footage of the eruption shared by the centre showed clouds of grey ash billowing from the crater, accompanied by a booming noise.
No evacuations have been reported so far. Indonesia is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is home to 127 active volcanoes, according to the volcanology agency.
In recent weeks, North Sulawesi’s Ruang volcano has also erupted, spewing incandescent lava as lightning flashed from its crater. This eruption led to the evacuation of over 12,000 people living on a nearby island. In December, Marapi volcano, one of Sumatra’s most active volcanoes, erupted, causing more than 20 fatalities and releasing grey ash clouds as high as 3 km.
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