A volcano on the distant Indonesian island of Halmahera erupted spectacularly, sending a gray cloud of ash into the sky and sending residents of seven nearby villages evacuating, authorities said on Sunday.
In an announcement, Abdul Muhari of the disaster mitigation agency said a joint team consisting of police, army and search and rescue officers had been dispatched to the realm to evacuate residents from nearby villages.
Photos released by the disaster agency show authorities helping the elderly while remaining residents were transported in pick-up trucks and housed overnight in emergency tents.
The agency didn’t provide any information on the number of individuals relocated, but authorities advisable clearing an area inside a 7 km radius.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency raised the volcano’s alert level to the very best level on Thursday following repeated Ibu eruptions earlier this month.
Ibu’s activity follows a series of eruptions at various volcanoes in Indonesia, which is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has 127 energetic volcanoes.
Flash floods and cold lava flow from Mount Marapi, one of the vital energetic in West Sumatra province, blanketed several nearby districts after heavy rain on May 11, killing greater than 60 people.
The Ruang volcano in North Sulawesi also erupted in recent weeks, spewing glowing lava. The eruption forced authorities to evacuate greater than 12,000 people from a close-by island.
