Indonesia's volcanology agency on Thursday raised the alert level of the Ibu volcano in North Maluku province to the highest on its scale after a series of recent eruptions.
The agency in a statement also warned nearby residents against coming near the volcano, located on the remote island of Halhamera.
Mount Ibu erupted on Monday, spewing thick grey ash and dark clouds 5,000 meters into the sky for five minutes, officials said.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
