The Ibu volcano in eastern Indonesia started spewing huge amounts of ash again today, while last week the authorities raised the alert level to the second, highest level on a scale of up to four.
So far, there are no reports of casualties or damage.
A column of ash rose into the sky on the island of Halmahera in the province of North Moluccas, and reached more than five kilometers above the top of the volcano, reported the agency for volcanology and geology, which published images of the eruption, one of the largest in recent months.
The ash is dense and moving westward, said agency director Muhamad Vafi, in today's statement.
He called on the locals in the area to wear masks and goggles when they go out, to protect themselves from the volcanic ash.
The volcano had a minor eruption on Saturday when it spewed lava and ash several kilometers into the air.
The alert level remained today at the second highest level on a scale of four, after being raised by one level last week and the establishment of a prohibited zone of five kilometers around the crater of the volcano.
Ibu is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, with 21.000 eruptions recorded last week.
An official from the geological agency stated that Ibu had an average of 58 eruptions per day in 2023.
Indonesia, which is a large archipelago, has frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Last month, the Ruang volcano in the north of Seleb province erupted more than six times, forcing residents from the surrounding islands to be evacuated.
About 800 residents of Ruang Island had to be permanently relocated.
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