TERNATE: Officials announced on Wednesday that thousands of islanders would have to leave their homes after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia, sending a tall column of ash and smoke into the sky.
For the seventh time this year, Mount Ibu, which is situated on the isolated island of Halmahera, erupted on Wednesday, launching a column of smoke four kilometers (2.5 miles) into the sky.
Later, Indonesia’s Geological Agency upgraded the volcano’s alert status to the highest degree.
Wawan Gunawan Ali, the head of local disaster management, stated, “We will evacuate residents in five villages today due to the increase in Mount Ibu’s (alert) level.”
He further mentioned that on Wednesday night, local officials intended to evacuate some 3,000 people from neighboring communities.
