A woman and child look on at volcanic ash rising into the air during the eruption of Mount Ibu, as seen from Duono Village in West Halmahera, North Maluku province, on Jan 15, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Azzam)

Thousands to be evacuated after Indonesia's Mount Ibu erupts

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TERNATE, Indonesia: Thousands of islanders are set to be evacuated after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia, spewing a towering column of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, officials said on Wednesday (Jan 15).

Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera, erupted for a fifth time this year on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke 4km into the sky.

The volcano's alert status was subsequently raised to the highest level by Indonesia's Geological Agency.

"Following the increase in Mount Ibu's (alert) level, today we will evacuate residents in five villages," said local disaster management head Wawan Gunawan Ali.

He added that local authorities were planning to evacuate approximately 3,000 residents from nearby villages on Wednesday evening.

Many residents had already gathered in a village hall, ready for evacuation, an AFP reporter on the ground reported.

Mount Ibu has shown a significant increase in volcanic activity since last June, following a series of earthquakes.

In the first weeks of January alone, the volcano, which is one of Indonesia's most active, erupted four times.

Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists have been advised to avoid a 5km to 6km exclusion zone around the volcano's peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.

As of 2022, around 700,000 people were living on Halmahera island, according to official data.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Last November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703m twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores erupted more than a dozen times in one week, killing nine people in its initial explosion.

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.

Source: AFP/lh

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