Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts, forces 7 villages to evacuate
- Mount Ibu erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash 4km (2.5 miles) high, and authorities recommended that a 7km radius be cleared
- Ibu’s activities follow a series of eruptions of different volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has 127 active volcanoes
A volcano on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera has spectacularly erupted, spewing a grey ash cloud into the sky, and people from seven nearby villages have been evacuated, authorities said on Sunday.
A joint team comprised of police, military and search and rescue officials was dispatched to the area to evacuate residents from surrounding villages, Abdul Muhari, from the disaster mitigation agency, said in a statement.
Photos shared by the disaster agency showed authorities assisting the elderly, while other residents were moved in pick-up trucks and accommodated in emergency tents for the night.
The agency did not provide any information about how many people had been moved, but authorities have recommended that a 7km radius be cleared.
