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 January 15, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AFP

A volcano in eastern Indonesia has erupted at least a thousand times this month, according to an official report on Sunday, as efforts are under way to evacuate thousands of villagers.

Mount Ibu, on the remote island of Halmahera, sent a column of smoke up to 4 km into the sky in an eruption on January 15.

Indonesian officials called for the evacuation of 3,000 people living in six nearby villages.

It was one of 1,079 eruptions by the volcano recorded since January 1 by Indonesia’s Geological Agency, sending columns of ash reaching between 0.3 km and 4 km above its peak, according to the agency’s data.

The latest big eruption occurred on Sunday at 1:15 a.m. local time. “The ash was grey, with moderate to thick intensity, drifting southwest. A loud rumbling sound was heard all the way to Mount Ibu Observation Post,” the agency said.

It added that the volcano had erupted 17 times on Sunday alone.

The local authorities had only managed to evacuate 517 residents as of Sunday, pledging to persuade those who remained to stay in safe shelters. Many have refused to evacuate, arguing that they were used to the situation and were in the harvest season.

“There might be economic considerations, as many residents are in the middle of harvesting crops. However, we will continue to educate the community and encourage them to evacuate,” said Adietya Yuni Nurtono, Ternate district military commander in charge of a safe shelter.

Jakarta:

A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Saturday, spewing hot lava and releasing a column of smoke and ash four kilometres (3.1 miles) into the air, an official said.

Mount Ibu, on Halmahera island in North Maluku province, erupted at 7:45 pm central Indonesia time (1145 GMT), sending a tall flaming column soaring into the sky.

“The lava was spotted two kilometres away from the eruption centre,” Geological Agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement.

Images from the volcano monitoring post showed a bright red column of flame and thick, dark smoke billowing high above the volcano crater.

The volcano is currently still on the second highest alert level. 

There has been no new evacuation order, but visitors and villagers have been told to vacate a zone four to 5.5 kilometres from the peak. 

The agency also urged people to wear face masks and protective goggles in case of volcanic ash rain.

Ibu is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupting more than 2,000 times last year. 

More than 700,000 people lived on Halmahera island as of 2022, according to official figures. 

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

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

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Mount Lewotobi spews volcanic ash in East Flores, Indonesia, on November 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

IndiGo and Air India on Wednesday (November 13, 2024) cancelled their flights to Bali due to ash clouds from a volcanic eruption in the Indonesian island.

The Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano located in a remote island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted earlier this month and has resulted in ash clouds. These clouds could pose a threat to flight operations and as a result, many airlines have cancelled their services to Bali.

“#6ETravelAdvisory: Due to a recent volcanic eruption in #Bali, flights to/from the region have been cancelled, as ash clouds may impact air travel,” IndiGo said in a post on X.

The airline operates a daily flight from Bengaluru to Bali.

An official said Air India has cancelled its Bali flight. It operates a flight every day from Delhi to the Indonesian island. The service was being operated by Vistara, which has now been merged with Air India.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews volcanic materials during an eruption, in East Flores, Indonesia on November 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki unleashed towering columns of ash into the air on Thursday, in an even larger eruption than the one that killed nine people and injured dozens of others three days ago.

There were no reports of casualties from the latest eruption as residents living in the danger zone spanning a radius of 7 kilometers from the crater had been evacuated to other villages, said Kensius Didimus, a local disaster agency official.

The 1,584-meter volcano on the remote island of Flores shot billowing columns of ash 11 times on Thursday, with the latest and largest rising 8,000 meters, said Hadi Wijaya, the head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

The volcano had shown less activity since Monday’s deadly eruption killed nine people and injured 64 others.

Monday’s eruption affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages. Nearly 6,000 villagers moved into makeshift emergency shelters after the eruption, which destroyed seven schools, nearly two dozen houses and a convent on the majority-Catholic island.

Volcanic materials, including smoldering stones, lava and hot, thumb-size fragments of gravel and ash were thrown up to 7 kilometers from the crater on Monday.

The country’s volcano monitoring agency increased Lewotobi Laki Laki’s alert status to the highest level and more than doubled the exclusion zone to a 7-kilometer radius on Monday, prohibiting any activity in that area.

About 6,500 people were evacuated in January after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki began erupting, spewing thick clouds and forcing the government to close the island’s Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport. No casualties or major damage were reported, but the airport has remained closed due to seismic activity.

Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of a pair of stratovolcanoes in the East Flores district of East Nusa Tenggara province, known locally as the husband-and-wife mountains. “Laki laki” means man, while its mate is Lewotobi Perempuan, or woman.

The vulcanology center also said another volcano, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province — one of the country’s most active volcanoes — erupted again on Thursday, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and blanketing nearby villages with debris. No casualties were reported.

Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of the 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago of 280 million people. The country is prone to earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

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.