Jakarta:

Ibu volcano in Indonesia’s Halmahera Island erupted again, sending volcanic ash as high as 5,000 metre to its peak, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.

The eruption occurred at 11:36 a.m. local time on Monday for more than two minutes, and the thick ash column leaned towards the southwest and west, said Ibu Volcano Observation Post Officer Ridwan Djalil on Monday as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The center raised its hazardous status from level three to four, the highest, on May 16, following a significant increase in the mountain’s recent activity.

Local people are asked to avoid the danger zone within a 4 km radius and 7 km in the northern sector of the crater.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jakarta:

A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Monday, spewing a huge ash tower more than five kilometres (three miles) into the sky after authorities raised its alert level to the second-highest last week.

No damage or casualties were immediately reported but images showed a column of ash soaring into the sky on Halmahera island in North Maluku province.

Authorities said it reached more than five kilometres above the volcano’s peak, one of the biggest eruptions in recent months.

The grey-black ash column was observed with “thick intensity, leaning towards the west,” Geology Agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement Monday.

Wafid urged nearby residents to wear facemasks and glasses when going outdoors to protect against falling volcanic ash.

The volcano erupted on Saturday on a smaller scale, spewing lava, belching ash several kilometres into the night sky, and causing lightning.

The alert level remained at the second-highest of a four-tiered system on Monday after authorities raised it last week, with an exclusion zone between three and five kilometres (two to three miles) around the volcano’s crater.

Ibu is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos, erupting more than 21,000 times last year.

Geology Agency official Sofyan Primulyana said Ibu recorded an average of 58 eruptions per day in 2023.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

Last month, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents of nearby islands to evacuate and it remains at the highest alert level.

All of the 800 or so residents of Ruang island will be permanently relocated.

 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jakarta:

A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Wednesday and spewed an ash tower almost a mile into the sky, prompting officials to raise an alert level to the second-highest and warn people to keep away.

Mount Ibu, located on the island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted at 11:11 am local time (0211 GMT) and sent a thick column of dark smoke and ash above the peak.

The volcano spewed an ash tower 1.5 kilometres (0.93 miles) above the peak, Indonesia’s volcanology agency (PVMBG) said.

“Based on the results of visual and instrumental monitoring… Mount Ibu’s activity level has been raised from level two to level three” of a four-tiered system, said PVMBG chief Hendra Gunawan in a statement Wednesday.

Authorities formed an exclusion zone between three and five kilometres around the volcano’s crater.

Hendra urged nearby residents to wear face masks and glasses when doing outdoor activities and to prepare for falling volcanic ash.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

Last month, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi Province erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents of nearby islands to evacuate.

It erupted again last week and remains at the highest alert level of a four-tiered system.

All of the 800 or so residents of Ruang island have been permanently relocated.

The Sam Ratulangi International Airport in the city of Manado, located more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the crater, was shut for days because of volcanic ash. It has since re-opened.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Manado, Indonesia:

Indonesia’s remote Mount Ruang volcano erupted several times on Tuesday, authorities said, issuing the highest level of alert and ordering thousands of people to evacuate due to the threat of a tsunami from debris sliding into the sea.

The country’s volcanology agency had warned the threat from the volcano was not over after it erupted more than half a dozen times this month, sparking the evacuation of more than 6,000 people.

Ruang, located in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, erupted at around 01:15 am local time on Tuesday (1715 GMT Monday) and then twice more that morning, the volcanology agency said in a statement.

The volcano sent a tower of ash more than five kilometres (3.1 miles) into the sky, it added, as well as a fiery column of lava.

The national disaster agency BNPB estimated 11,000 to 12,000 people had to be relocated from near Ruang’s crater, spokesman Abdul Muhari told a press conference.

“Currently local disaster mitigation agency… military and police are evacuating residents,” he said.

Images released by the agency showed a molten red column bursting into the sky, a large ash cloud spilling from the crater and burning embers near local houses.

The disaster agency imposed a seven-kilometre exclusion zone around Ruang after volcanology officials warned locals of “the potential for ejections of incandescent rocks, hot clouds and tsunamis due to eruption material entering the sea”.

Abdul said a rescue ship and a warship had been dispatched to help move thousands from neighbouring Tagulandang island north to Siau island because of the tsunami warning.

“We urge people in Tagulandang island to stay away from coastal areas, to be on alert for the potential of a tsunami to occur,” he said, citing an 1871 wave that killed around 400 people after volcanic debris fell into the sea.

Relocations

The tsunami fears were also informed by more recent events.

The crater of Mount Anak Krakatoa, between Java and Sumatra islands, also partly collapsed in 2018 when a major eruption sent huge chunks of the volcano sliding into the ocean, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 400 people and injured thousands.

More than 800 people live on Ruang, all of whom were evacuated this month.

Some had returned to their homes after the emergency response ended on Monday, an AFP journalist said.

It was unclear how many residents had gone back and how many were forced to evacuate once more.

But Abdul said those who were previously evacuated from Ruang had been to be taken to provincial capital Manado to await relocation, unable to return to their homes because of the fear of eruptions.

Ruang’s latest eruption prompted authorities to again close Sam Ratulangi international airport in Manado, more than 100 kilometres away, according to a notice from state-run air traffic control provider AirNav Indonesia.

The notice said the airport was shutting down due to “Ruang volcanic ash”.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A 31-year-old Chinese woman died after falling off the edge of a crater while posing for a photo on an Indonesian volcano known for its popular “blue fire” phenomenon. According to the New York Post, the woman, identified as Huang Lihong, was with her husband on a guided tour when the incident took place on Saturday. The couple, in their bid to watch the sunrise, had climbed to the edge of the crater of Ijen – a volcano tourism park in the region – cops said.  

According to the police, the woman plummeted from a height of 75m and died from the impact of her fall. The death has been marked as an accident, per The Post.

The tour guild later told authorities that Ms Lihong kept a safe distance from the edge of the crater after being repeatedly warned of the dangers while posing for snaps. However, she then started walking backwards to inch closer and then accidentally stepped on her long clothing, tripped and fell into the mouth of the volcano. It is not clear if the 31-year-old was wearing a skirt or a dress.   

According to the officials, it took rescuers around 2 hours to retrieve Ms Lihong’s body.

Notably, the Ijen volcano is known for its “blue fire” caused by the blue light emitted from the combustion of sulfuric gases. According to The Independent, in 2018, scores of people were forced to evacuate their homes and at least 30 people were hospitalised after the volcano started to emit toxic gases. Mount Ijen regularly releases small amounts of noxious gases but the site stays open to the public.

Indonesia is home to around 130 active volcanoes. Recently, a remote Indonesian volcano sent a tower of ash spewing into the sky, after nearly half a dozen eruptions forced thousands to evacuate when molten rocks rained down on their villages. Mount Ruang in Indonesia’s outermost region of North Sulawesi started erupting on April 16, stirring a spectacular mix of fiery orange lava, a towering ash column and volcanic lightning. The country’s volcanology agency said the eruption sent a plume of smoke 400 metres (1,312 feet) above the peak.

This photo provided by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) shows a view of an eruption of Mount Ruang in the Sulawesi island, Indonesia, Friday, April 19, 2024. People living near the erupting volcano were evacuated due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami.
| Photo Credit: AP

More than 2,100 people living near an erupting volcano on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island were evacuated on April 19 due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami.

Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation recorded at least three eruptions since April 19 afternoon, with the maximum height of the eruption column reaching 1,200 meters.

An international airport in Manado city, less than 100 km from the erupting Mount Ruang, is temporarily closed as volcanic ash spewed into the air.

Satellite imagery from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency shows the ash has spread to the west, northwest, northeast and southeast, covering Manado and North Minahasa, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry.

“We are still monitoring developments in the eruption of Mount Ruang and coordinating with relevant stakeholders … to anticipate the necessary actions to ensure flight safety, security and comfort,” said Ambar Suryoko, head of the regional airport authority.

Residents evacuated

More than 11,000 people were told to leave their homes in the affected area. A joint team from the local authorities combed the villages surrounding the volcano and evacuated residents to safer areas by boat.

Officials worry that part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami, as happened in an eruption there in 1871.

Houses, roads and other buildings were covered by gray volcanic ash, and many roofs were broken by debris spewed from the eruption.

Mount Ruang saw at least five large eruptions on April 17, causing the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation to issue its highest level of alert. People were ordered to stay at least 6 km from the 725 m mountain.

The observation from the agency on Friday said white smoke was rising from the main crater with medium to thick intensity.

East of the volcano, Tagulandang Island could be at risk if a collapse occurred. Its residents were among those being told to evacuate. Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said residents would be relocated to Manado, a journey of 6 hours by boat.

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.

Mount Ruang volcano erupts in Sitaro, North Sulawesi, on April 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

A remote volcano in Indonesia’s outermost region erupted again on April 19, local authorities and an AFP journalist said, after the crater threw up columns of smoke and lava multiple times this week and forced thousands to evacuate.

“The volcano erupts again,” said the AFP journalist on the island of Tagulandang which neighbours Mount Ruang.

The country’s volcanology agency later confirmed the eruption sent a plume of smoke 400 metres (1,312 feet) above the peak.

“There was an eruption of Mt Ruang, North Sulawesi” at 1706 local time, 0906 GMT, it said.

“The ash column was observed to be grey in colour… and leaning towards the south.”

While officials said Ruang had started to calm Friday, authorities maintained the highest alert level on a four-tiered system, which indicates high volcanic activity.

They also told residents to remain more than six kilometres (four miles) from the crater.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

This handout photograph taken and released by the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation on April 17, 2024, shows Mount Ruang spewing hot lava and smoke as seen from Sitaro, North Sulawesi.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Indonesia shut a provincial airport and evacuated hundreds of people from the vicinity of the Ruang volcano after it belched explosive plumes of lava, rocks and ash for days, officials said on April 18, declaring the highest alert on the situation.

Wednesday’s dramatic eruption of the volcano on a remote island in the Province of North Sulawesi threw a fiery-red column of lava, incandescent rock and ash as much as 3 km (two miles) into the sky.

Purple flashes of lightning rent the sky above the erupting volcano, videos on social media showed.

“We’re running, guys,” said one witness who filmed the eruption while scrambling to evacuate. “We are escaping because the ash is coming close.”

More than 800 people were evacuated from the area, with authorities widening the evacuation zone further after the volcanology agency raised the alert status.

“The potential for further eruption is still high, so we need to remain alert,” agency official Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari told reporters on April 18, blaming a rapid escalation in volcanic activity.

The agency had also received reports that falling rocks and ash damaged homes and forced a nearby hospital to evacuate, the official said.

Transport authorities shut the airport in the provincial capital of Manado to protect against the showers of ash from the eruption.

Budget airline Air Asia cancelled flights with nine airports in East Malaysia and Brunei after aviation authorities warned of a safety threat.

Officials have cordoned off an area of six kilometres (4 miles) around the volcano and are evacuating more residents, some from the neighbouring island of Tagulandang, said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson of the disaster mitigation agency.

About 1,500 of those in high-risk areas needed to be immediately evacuated, he added, while almost 12,000 more stand to be affected.

Officials have also flagged the risk of a tsunami if parts of the mountain collapse into the ocean below. About 400 people were killed in a tsunami unleashed by a previous eruption of the volcano in 1871.