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 Jan 15, 2025. — AFP/VNA Photo

JAKARTA — Mount Ibu, located on Halmahera island in eastern Indonesia, erupted on January 15 morning, sending a 4km-high ash column into the sky, forcing authorities to raise the alert to the highest level for surrounding areas.

According to Muhammad Wahid, head of the country's volcanology agency, the volcano erupted at 07:11am for around two minutes, with clouds of thick grey ash billowing into the sky leaning towards the west.

He warned residents and tourists not to have any activities within at least 5km from the crater.

On January 14 afternoon, Mount Ibu also erupted, spewing 3km high volcanic ash.

There are around 13,000 residents living near the volcano, said spokesperson of Indonesia's disaster agency Abdul Muhari. However, there is no plan to evacuate them so far. Personnel have been deployed just in case evacuation is needed.

Indonesia, located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," is home to 127 active volcanoes. In May last year, an eruption of Mount Ibu forced the evacuation of residents from seven nearby villages. — VNA/VNS