Mount Ibu In West Halmahera Releases 100 Meters Of Firelight

TERNATE - The mother's volcano in West Halmahera Regency, North Maluku Province was seen emitting 100 meters high from the summit, after being observed that the mountain erupted on Sunday (17/11) evening at around 19: 33 East Indonesia Time.

"The flames were seen as high as 100 meters after the volcano emitted a column of ash as high as 800 meters," said Ibu Volcano Observation Post Officer in West Halmahera, Axl Roeroe in a written statement monitored from Ternate, Sunday.

The ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity leaning towards the Southwest and this eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 28 mm and a duration of ~ 52 seconds at the Ibu Volcano Observation Post in Gam Ici Village, Ibu District.

He said that currently the condition of the volcano as high as 1,325 meters above sea level is still Level III or Alert.

Therefore, people around Mount Ibu as well as visitors or tourists, are asked not to move within a 4 km radius and the sectoral expansion is 5 km to the crater opening in the northern part of the active crater of the mountain.

"If ash rains, people who are active outside the home are advised to wear masks and glasses, so that they can avoid exposure to the mountain ash," he said.

In addition, he said, all parties to maintain the conduciveness of the atmosphere in the community, not to spread false narratives (hoaxes), and not to be provoked by issues whose sources are not clear as well as the community, so that they always follow directions from the Regional Government.

He added that the West Halmahera Regency Government should always coordinate with the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation in Bandung or with the Mother's Volcano Observation Post in Gam Ici Village to get direct information about Volcano activity.