Mount Ibu Vomits Volcanic Ash As High As 2,000 M, Residents Asked To Stay 5.5 Km From The Top

JAKARTA - The Mother's Volcano Observation Post (PGA) in West Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, ejected 2,000 meters of volcanic ash on Tuesday, December 24 at around 10.32 WIT.

"Mother's mount erupted again by removing a column of volcanic ash that looks thick," said PGA Ibu Post officer in West Halmahera Regency, Richard Chaniago in a written statement, Tuesday, December 24, which was confiscated by Antara.

He said the ash column was observed to be gray with thick intensity leaning towards the southeast and south and this eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 28 mm and a duration of ~ 1 minute 29 seconds.

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

Therefore, he said, people around Mount Ibu and tourists are asked not to move within a 4 kilometer radius and the sectoral expansion is 5.5 kilometers 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 or glasses, in order to avoid exposure to the volcanic ash," he said.

PGA Ibu Post officers hope that all parties, in order 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 unclear and at the same time ask the public to always follow directions from the Regional Government.

The West Halmahera Regency Government should always coordinate with the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation in Bandung or with the Mount Ibu Observation Post in Gam Ici Village to get direct information about the volcanic activity.