Volcano Erupts in Eastern Indonesia, Spewing Ash, Smoke

Mount Ibu, located on Halmahera Island in North Maluku province, spewed grey ash that was drifting north-eastwards, according to the Geological Agency of Indonesia. The eruption lasted for 96 seconds, the agency said, Bernama reported.

The agency urged people living around the volcano and visitors to stay outside a two-kilometer radius from the crater and a 3.5-kilometre zone in the north. It also advised people to protect their eyes, nose and mouth from ash if it rains.

Mount Ibu is one of about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a vast archipelago prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.