"Ibu Volcano" Erupts and Releases Ash Cloud

Indonesian authorities announced on Sunday that a volcano on the remote island of Halmahera erupted violently and released an ash cloud into the sky, prompting officials to evacuate residents from seven nearby villages. The Ibu Volcano erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash up to four kilometers high, with purple lightning appearing around the volcano's crater, according to information and images released by the Indonesian Volcanology Agency. Abdul Mahari from the National Disaster Management Agency stated in a report that a joint team of police, military, and search and rescue officials was dispatched to the area to evacuate residents from the surrounding villages. Images published by the agency showed assistance being provided to the elderly and residents being transported in small trucks to shelters overnight. The agency did not provide any information regarding the number of people evacuated, but authorities recommended evacuating a radius of seven kilometers.