Indonesian authorities evacuated residents from seven neighboring villages today, Sunday, following a massive eruption of a volcano on the remote island of Halmahera, sending a cloud of ash into the sky.

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According to “Reuters,” Mount Ibu erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash up to four kilometers high, with purple lightning streaks appearing around the volcano’s crater, according to information and photos released by the Indonesian Volcanology Agency.

Abdul Muhari from the National Disaster Management Agency said in a statement that a joint team of police, military, and rescue officials had been sent to the area to evacuate residents from the surrounding villages.

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Photos released by the agency showed aid operations for the elderly and transporting residents in small trucks to shelters during the night.

The agency did not provide information on the number of people evacuated, but authorities recommended clearing an area within a seven-kilometer radius.

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Indonesia’s Volcanology Agency had raised the volcano’s alert level to the highest level on Thursday, after several eruptions earlier this month.

Mount Ibu’s activity follows a series of volcanic eruptions in Indonesia, a country located on the so-called “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific Ocean, which has 127 active volcanoes.