Indonesia's Ibu volcano erupts, ash up to 1,200m

Jakarta: The Ibu volcano on Halmahera Island in the eastern Indonesian province of North Maluku erupted on Thursday at around 11 a.m. local time for about 90 seconds, throwing ash up to 1,200 metre above its peak, according to the country's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

"The ash column was observed to be gray in color with thick intensity towards the southeast," said Efrita Saragih, an officer of the volcano's monitoring post.

Standing as high as around 1,300 metre above sea level, Ibu volcano is classified in the second danger level, below the highest level of IV. The volcano has erupted 60 times since the beginning of this year, PVMBG said.

Saragih called on the public not to have activities within a radius of 3.5 km from the crater, Xinhua news agency reported.

"People who have outdoor activities are advised to wear nose, mouth and eye protectors when volcanic ashes fall," she said.

Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is one of the countries with the most volcanoes in the world.