A volcano erupts in Indonesia

Jakarta. A volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia on Sunday, according to local media. After the explosion, seven kilometers above the sky can be seen in public photos and videos by social media and local media, where the sky is covered with ash like a cloud.

This is the latest of about 100 eruptions from the volcano so far this year. Head of the Geology Department, Mohammad Wafid, said that when Mount Ibu on Halmahera Island in North Maluku Province exploded at 12:45 p.m. local time, a thick cloud of ash was blown by the wind.

He said that the eruption from the volcano, which has been under the country’s high alert since mid-May, lasted for 6 minutes and 13 seconds. Abdul Muhari, the spokesperson of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), issued a statement on Sunday, saying that the wind blew ash towards the volcano’s monitoring center and the rescue house next to it, but there was no danger among the rescued people.

“People have been advised to avoid outdoor activities and take shelter indoors while ash mixed with sand is still raining,” said Abdul.

He asked to use a mask to avoid respiratory problems. Authorities warned locals and tourists not to enter an exclusion zone between four and seven kilometers (2.5–4.3 mi) of the volcano’s center after the volcano was raised to a high alert level on May 16.

According to data from the local disaster mitigation agency, authorities began evacuating residents to safer places shortly thereafter, and by Sunday, more than 2,500 people had been evacuated to shelters.

Ibu is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. More than 21,000 explosions took place here last year. According to the Geology Agency, there were an average of 58 eruptions per day in 2023.

Indonesia, a vast archipelagic nation, faces frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it sits 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.