Mount Ibu in Indonesia erupts, spewing hot lava and smoke

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

Mount Ibu, on Halmahera Island in North Maluku Province, erupted at 19:45 Central Indonesia Time (1145 GMT), sending a tall pillar of flame into the sky.

“The lava was seen two kilometers away from the eruption center,” the head of the Geological Agency, Muhammad Wafid, said in a statement.

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

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

There has been no new evacuation order, but visitors and villagers have been asked to leave a zone four to 5.5 kilometers from the summit.

The agency also urged people to wear face masks and 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 in 2022, according to official figures.

Indonesia, a large island nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire.”

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

© 2025 AFP