Indonesia: 7 villages evacuated as volcano erupts at Mount Ibu

A volcano at Halmahera’s remote Indonesian island erupted, spewing a grey ash cloud into the sky.

Authorities said that people from seven nearby villages were evacuated after the incident.

According to information and images shared by Indonesia's volcanology agency, Mount Ibu erupted on May 18, sending ash 4 km (2.5 miles) high.

In a statement, Abdul Muhari who is a member of the disaster mitigation agency said that a joint team comprised of police, military and search and rescue officials was dispatched to the area to evacuate residents from surrounding villages.

Photos shared by the disaster agency showed authorities assisting the elderly, while other residents were moved in pick-up trucks and accommodated in emergency tents for the night.

The agency did not provide any information about how many people had been moved, but authorities have recommended that a seven-km (4.35-mile) radius be cleared.

Indonesia's volcanology agency raised the alert level of the volcano to the highest level on Thursday, after Ibu erupted multiple times earlier this month.

Ibu's activities follow a series of eruptions of different volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has 127 active volcanoes.