Indonesia’s Mount Ibu eruption, seven villages evacuated

• Mt. Ibu volcano in Halmahera, Indonesia, erupted, sending a grey ash cloud and prompting the evacuation of seven villages.
• Authorities dispatched a joint team of police, military, and search and rescue officials to evacuate residents.
• The Ruang volcano in North Sulawesi has also erupted, causing evacuations of over 12,000 people.

Authorities reported on Sunday that a volcano on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera spectacularly erupted, sending a grey ash cloud into the sky and prompting the evacuation of people from seven nearby villages.

According to information and images shared by Indonesia’s volcanology agency, Mt. Ibu erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash 4 km (2.5 miles) high, with streaks of purple lightning flashing around its crater.

Abdul Muhari, from the disaster mitigation agency, stated in a statement that authorities dispatched a joint team of police, military, and search and rescue officials to evacuate residents from surrounding villages.

The disaster agency shared photos depicting authorities assisting the elderly, while other residents were being transported in pick-up trucks and accommodated in emergency tents for the night.

Although the agency did not provide information about how many people had been moved, authorities recommended clearing a seven-km (4.35-mile) radius.

Indonesia’s volcanology agency raised the alert level of the volcano to the highest level on Thursday, following multiple eruptions earlier this month.

Following torrential rain on May 11, flash floods and cold lava flow from Mount Marapi, one of the most active volcanoes in West Sumatra province, covered several nearby districts, killing more than 60 people. These events occurred as part of a series of eruptions from different volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and boasts 127 active volcanoes.

In recent weeks, the Ruang volcano in North Sulawesi has also erupted, spewing incandescent lava. The eruption prompted authorities to evacuate more than 12,000 people on a nearby island.

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