Authorities have begun evacuating 3,000 residents near the Mount Ibu volcano on Indonesia's eastern island of Halmahera, the disaster agency said on Thursday, after an eruption this week sent a cloud of thick grey ash as high as four-km (2.

Thousands of islanders are set to be evacuated after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia, spewing a towering column of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, officials said Wednesday.

Hundreds of islanders have been evacuated, with thousands more awaiting their turn following increased volcanic eruptions in eastern Indonesia, officials said on Thursday. Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province,

Authorities have begun evacuating 3,000 residents near the Mount Ibu volcano on Indonesia's eastern island of Halmahera, the disaster agency said on Thursday (January 16), after an eruption this week sent a cloud of thick grey ash as high as four-km (2.5-mile) into the sky.

A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Saturday, spewing hot lava and releasing a column of smoke and ash four kilometres (3.1 miles) into the air, an official said.

This is the spectacular moment the Mount Ibu volcano erupted, sending a towering column of ash skywards in Indonesia today. Footage shows thick grey smoke billowing thousands of feet into the air, leaning towards the west and northwest in West Halmahera Regency,

Mount Ibu, located on Halmahera island in eastern Indonesia, erupted on January 15 morning, sending a 4-kilometer-high ash column into the sky, forcing authorities to raise the alert to the highest level for surrounding areas.

Mount Ibu, a volcano on Indonesia's Halmahera island, erupted Wednesday, sending four-kilometer high ash clouds into the sky. Authorities raised the alert level and advised against activities within five kilometers of the crater.