TERNATE: Thousands of people declined a government-led evacuation in eastern Indonesia where a volcano has been spewing smoke and ash, arguing that they are accustomed to the eruptions. Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke up to four kilometres into the sky. The volcano's alert status was immediately raised to the highest level by Indonesia's Geological Agency, prompting local authorities to call for the evacuation of 3,000 people living in six villages.
"So far, only one village has been evacuated, while people in the remaining five villages have refused to evacuate," said a spokesman for the local disaster management agency, Irfan Idrus. He added that the residents who chose to stay argued they were used to Mount Ibu's eruptions. — AFP
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