7 months ago
21
NEW DELHI: Officials in eastern
Indonesia
issued warnings to residents after a volcano erupted on Sunday morning, sending an
ash tower
soaring more than two miles into the sky. The eruption prompted concerns for
public safety
, urging people to stay away from the affected area.
At 12:37 am (local time),
Mount Ibu
, situated on the island of
Halmahera
in
North Maluku province
, erupted, releasing a dense column of dark smoke and ash towards the west of its summit.
The eruption lasted more than three minutes and the ash towered 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) above the peak, an official at Mount Ibu's monitoring post, Axl Roeroe, said in a statement on Sunday.
"To residents and tourists near Mount Ibu, please do not conduct any activity within a two-kilometre radius (of the crater)," he said.
Despite the eruption, the alert level for the 1,325-meter (4,347-foot) Mount Ibu remained at two on the four-tiered system, and no evacuation order was issued.
However, authorities advised people to wear face masks and glasses while outdoors and to prepare for falling volcanic ash. Indonesia, known for frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific "
Ring of Fire
," experiences such events regularly.
Earlier this month, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi erupted, leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents.
Additionally, the Sam Ratulangi International Airport was also shut in Manado for several days, despite its distance of over 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the crater.
