Evacuations are underway from the area around erupting volcano, Mount Ruang. Image source: Ariefrahman, via Wikimedia Commons
Indonesian volcano Mount Ruang has erupted multiple times, causing authorities to evacuate over 11,000 people.
The volcanic island is the southernmost volcano in the Sangihe Islands arc, in the province of North Sulawesi.
The volcano erupted on Wednesday, with the eruption sending ash and debris to up to 800 metres high. The volcanic cloud was noted for its lightning strikes within.
Mount Ruang has a peak 725 metres above sea level. It is one of Indonesia’s 120 active volcanoes and is infamous for an eruption in 1871 which caused a devastating tsunami.
The amount of ash in the air has made it dangerous for air travel, which led to a temporary shutdown of a nearby international airport in Manado, the capital city of the North Sulawesi province, for over a day.
“We have to close flight operations at Sam Ratulangi Airport due to the spread of volcanic ash, which could endanger flight safety,” stated Ambar Suryoko, regional airport authority head.
Indonesian authorities have set up a six-kilometre exclusion zone around the perimeter of the volcano, encompassing the neighbouring island of Tagulandang.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari provided a statement on the evacuation efforts on Thursday, stating “people who live in the Tagulandang Island area and are within a six-kilometre radius must be immediately evacuated to a safe place outside the six-kilometre radius”.
“Especially, those who live near the coast should be aware of the potential for incandescent rocks to erupt, hot clouds and tsunami waves that could be triggered by the collapse of a volcanic body into the sea.”
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire — a tectonic belt that is made of an estimated two-thirds of the world’s volcanoes. A majority of the world’s earthquakes also occur here.
Volcanic activity has also recently occurred in Iceland.
Authorities also warn of potential further eruptions from Mount Ruang.
