THE stratovolcano Mount Ibu startled residents after it erupted for the second time in ten days.
Mount Ibu erupted twice on Saturday evening forcing evacuation of residents in seven villages located near the volcano.
Indonesia‘s second-largest volcano located on the remote Halmahera island recorded more than 21,000 eruptions last year.
Authorities warned tourists and those living around the volcano to not get close to it, as well as to use eye protection and face masks.
The 4,347-foot volcano has been spewing thick grey ash and dark clouds up to 16,400 feet into the air for days in a row last week.
Local officials raised the alert level from 4 to 5 and set up a 7-kilometer exclusion zone.
The latest incident happened after Mount Ruang volcano in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province erupted last month causing thousands of residents to flee from their homes and forcing airports to shut.
