JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupted again Sunday, spewing thick, gray ash 7,000 meters (16,000 feet) into the air, officials said.
The volcano, located on an island in the eastern province of North Moluccas, erupted for more than six minutes, said Muhammad Wafid, head of Indonesia’s Geology Bureau.
You could see a column of ash rising high into the air. It spewed out material including volcanic ash and sand.
At the time of the eruption, the wind was blowing westward and as a result, the volcanic material was carried by the wind to a place where previously evacuated people lived, in a field near the village of Gam Ici, National Disaster said. Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari. A team from the agency is on its way to the affected location.
Local authorities advised residents not to engage in outdoor activities and to remain sheltered indoors as the rain of ash mixed with sand continues.
Mount Ibu has been erupting continuously since early May. Indonesian authorities have raised the alert to the highest level after a series of eruptions since last week.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million inhabitants, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it lies along the ‘Ring of Fire’, a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
