Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts, spewing ash clouds high into sky

The volcano on the remote island of Halmahera erupted at 9.12am for about five minutes, projecting ash into the sky as high as 5km (3.1 miles), officials said.

A smaller eruption was also recorded on Friday.

The alert status of the volcano remains at the second-highest level, Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre, said in a statement.

All activities within a 5km radius of the volcano were prohibited, he added.

“If it starts to rain ash, we recommend people who are near the volcano to wear a mask and glasses,” Hendra said.

Footage of the eruption shared by the centre showed clouds of grey ash billowing from the crater. The official said a booming noise was also heard.

No evacuation of residents has been reported so far.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has 127 active volcanoes, according to the volcanology agency.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse