Mount Ibu eruption forces evacuation of seven Indonesian villages

The volcano on Halmahera, a remote Indonesian island, Mount Ibu, erupted spectacularly again, spewing a grey ash cloud into the sky. The eruption on Saturday evening led to the evacuation of seven nearby villages, local authorities reported on Sunday (May 19).

### What Happened?
On Saturday (May 18) evening, Mount Ibu erupted, sending ash four kilometers into the air, with streaks of purple lightning illuminating its crater, Reuters reported, citing Indonesia’s volcanology agency. This eruption followed the authorities’ decision on Thursday (May 16) to raise the alert level for Mount Ibu to the highest level after a series of eruptions the previous week.

A joint team of police, military, and search and rescue officials was dispatched to evacuate residents from surrounding villages, Abdul Muhari from the disaster mitigation agency stated. The disaster agency did not specify the number of evacuees but announced that a seven-kilometer radius around the volcano would be cleared.

Images shared by the disaster agency showed authorities assisting elderly residents, moving others in pick-up trucks, and accommodating them in emergency tents overnight.

### Hundreds Evacuated
According to AFP, citing an official report on Friday (May 17), hundreds of people living near Mount Ibu were evacuated after the alert status was raised to the highest level on the country’s four-tiered system, following two significant eruptions in a row.

“Until today (May 17), evacuees continue to arrive, and as of this morning, preliminary data indicates around 400 people have been evacuated,” said Muhammad Ade Fabanyo, a disaster mitigation agency official. He explained that the evacuation was a “preventive” measure as residents lived within seven kilometers of the volcano.

Mount Ibu’s activity is part of a series of eruptions from various volcanoes across Indonesia, which sits on the “Ring of Fire” and is home to nearly 130 active volcanoes. Notably, Ibu is one of the country’s most active volcanoes, erupting more than 21,000 times last year.