Indonesian Volcano Mount Ibu Spews Ash, Forces Evacuations

Indonesia's Mount Ibu volcano erupted for the second time in a week on May 18, 2024, spewing ash 2.5 miles into the sky and forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

Indonesia's Mount Ibu volcano on the remote island of Halmahera erupted on May 18, spewing ash and smoke into the sky. Authorities immediately evacuated residents living within a nearly four-mile radius of the volcano.

The eruption, which occurred at around 3:30 p.m. local time, turned the sky into a spectacle of gray ash, with flashes of purple lightning illuminating the scene. A crew of police, military, and search and rescue personnel was dispatched to the area to assist with the evacuation of surrounding villages.

The joint team assisted the elderly in leaving the area, while residents were transported out in pickup trucks and taken to emergency tents for shelter. According to a statement from the disaster mitigation agency, authorities recommended that a seven-kilometer (4.35-mile) radius be evacuated, although the specific number of people displaced was not immediately known.

Mount Ibu had previously erupted on May 10 and again on May 15. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised the alert level for the volcano to 3, which is the second-highest level. Officials have advised residents and tourists to stay at least three miles away from Mount Ibu's crater.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

In addition to Mount Ibu, several other Indonesian volcanoes have been active in recent weeks. On May 11, Mount Marapi, one of the most active volcanoes in West Sumatra province, erupted, killing more than 60 people as flash floods and "cold lava" flowed into nearby districts. North Sulawesi's Ruang volcano also erupted, forcing more than 12,000 people to evacuate.

The Indonesian authorities are closely monitoring the volcanic activity and are prepared to respond to any further eruptions. The country's disaster mitigation agency has urged residents living near active volcanoes to be vigilant and to follow any instructions issued by local officials.