Indonesian authorities said on Sunday that a volcano on the remote island of Halmahera erupted massively and sent a cloud of ash into the sky, prompting the authorities to evacuate residents from seven nearby villages.
Ibo volcano erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash four kilometers high, with streaks of purple lightning appearing around the crater, according to information and photos published by the Indonesian Volcanology Agency.
Abdul Mahari of the National Disaster Management Authority said in a statement that a joint team of police, army and search and rescue officials had been sent to the area to evacuate residents from surrounding villages.
Pictures published by the authority showed assistance operations for the elderly, and residents were transported in small trucks to shelters during the night.
The authority did not provide any information about the number of people transported, but the authorities recommended evacuating an area with a radius of seven kilometers.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency raised the warning level for the volcano to the highest level on Thursday, after it erupted several times earlier this month.
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