Indonesian authorities announced on Thursday that they are evacuating thousands of residents from an island in the eastern part of the archipelago due to a volcanic eruption.
Mount Ibu, situated on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted on Wednesday, sending a plume of smoke soaring four kilometers into the sky.
The Indonesian geological agency issued a warning at its highest level, prompting local authorities to advise the 3,000 residents living nearby to evacuate.
By Thursday morning, 517 residents from the village closest to the volcano had already been evacuated, with additional evacuations planned for the afternoon.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, frequently experiences seismic and volcanic activity.
The volcanic activity at Mount Ibu has intensified since June, following a series of earthquakes. The volcano has erupted nine times since the beginning of 2025.
