JAKARTA (May 8): A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted today and spewed an ash tower almost a mile into the sky, prompting officials to raise an alert level to the second-highest and warn people to keep away.

Mount Ibu, located on the island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted at 11.11am local time (0211 GMT) and sent a thick column of dark smoke and ash above the peak.