Volcano erupts in eastern Indonesia, alert level raised

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A volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia on Wednesday, spewing a column of ash nearly a mile into the sky, prompting officials to raise the alert level to the second highest and warn people to stay away.

Mount Ibu on Halmahera island in North Maluku province erupted at 11:11 a.m. local time (02:11 GMT), sending a thick column of dark smoke and ash across the summit.

The volcano spewed a tower of ash 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) above the summit, the Indonesian Volcanology Agency (PVMBG) said.

“Based on the results of visual and instrumental monitoring… the activity level of Mount Ibu has been raised from level two to level three,” PVMBG chief Hendra Gunawan said in a statement on Wednesday of a four-tier system.

The authorities created an exclusion zone of between three and five kilometers around the volcano crater.

Hendra urged residents to wear face masks and goggles during outdoor activities and to prepare for falling volcanic ash.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, is subject to frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

Last month, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents of surrounding islands to evacuate.

There was another outbreak last week and the highest alert level of a four-tier system remains in effect.

All of Ruang Island’s approximately 800 residents were permanently relocated.

Sam Ratulangi International Airport in the city of Manado, more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the crater, was closed for days because of volcanic ash. It has now reopened.