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| Mount Ibu volcano on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province erupted on Wednesday | Photo: AFP |
A volcano in Indonesia has erupted, sending plumes of smoke into the air, and sending hundreds of villagers fleeing. The eruption occurred on Wednesday at Mount Ibu on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, sending plumes of smoke into the air as high as four kilometers (2.5 miles).
Indonesia's geological agency immediately raised the alert level to the highest level after the eruption, ordering local authorities to quickly evacuate 3,000 residents living near the volcano.
Following their instructions, 517 residents were evacuated from villages near the volcano on Thursday morning. The process of evacuating the rest is underway.
Irfan Idrus, a spokesman for the local disaster management agency, said the evacuation process began around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, but the process was hampered by administrative and infrastructural problems.