Mount Ibu on Indonesia’s Halmahera Island has erupted more than 1,000 times this month.
A volcano in eastern Indonesia has erupted at least a thousand times this month, according to an official report on Sunday, and efforts are underway to evacuate thousands of villagers living near Mount Gorogoro.
Mount Ibu on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province erupted on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) into the sky.
Indonesian authorities raised the alert to the highest level and asked 3,000 people living in six nearby villages to evacuate.
It was one of 1,079 eruptions by the volcano recorded by Indonesia’s Geological Agency since January 1, with a column of ash reaching between 0.3 and 4 kilometers above the mountain’s summit, according to agency data collected by AFP. It is said that he did.
The latest major eruption occurred at 1:15 a.m. local time on Sunday, spewing a towering cloud of ash 1.5 kilometers into the sky.
“The ash was gray in color and drifted to the southwest with medium to dark intensity. A loud rumbling sound could be heard as far as the Ibuyama Observatory,” the agency said in a statement.
It added that the volcano erupted 17 times on Sunday alone.
Despite the decision to evacuate affected villagers, local authorities had only managed to evacuate 517 residents as of Sunday and promised to persuade remaining residents to remain in safe evacuation centers.
Many are accustomed to this situation and refuse to evacuate, claiming it was harvest season.
“There may also be economic considerations as many residents are in the midst of harvesting their crops,” said Adietia Yuni Nurutono, the Ternate regional military commander in charge of the safe haven. We will provide education and encourage people to evacuate.”
Mount Ibu, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, has seen a significant increase in activity since June last year.
Residents and tourists living near Mt. Ibu are advised to avoid the 5-6 km restricted area around the volcano’s summit and to wear masks in case of ash fall.
According to official data, approximately 700,000 people will live on Halmahera in 2022.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, is subject to frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Last November, Lewotovi Rakiraki, a 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted more than a dozen times in a week, killing nine people in the first explosion.
Mount Luang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than six times last year, forcing thousands of people to evacuate from nearby islands.
© 2025 AFP
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