Indonesia's Mount Ibu erupts, spewing big ash cloud

Mount Ibu spewing volcanic material approximately 4,000m high during an eruption as observed from the Mount Ibu Volcano Observation Post in West Halmahera, North Maluku on Jan 11, 2025. - AFP

JAKARTA (Reuters) - A volcano located in Indonesia's eastern island of Halmahera erupted on Wednesday morning spewing a four-km (2.5-mile) high ash cloud, forcing authorities to raise the alert level in surrounding areas to the highest, officials said.

Mount Ibu erupted at 07:11 a.m. (2211 GMT Tuesday) for around two minutes, the country's volcanology agency said in a statement. Clouds of thick grey ash billowed into the sky leaning towards the west, said Muhammad Wahid, the agency's head.