JAKARTA: At least 800 people in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province have been evacuated following multiple eruptions of the Ruang volcano in the region, which for days has spewed clouds of lava and ash into the sky, said the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Monitoring Center (PVMBG) Sulawesi and Maluku, Wednesday (17 April).
The volcano, located on Ruang island about 100 km from the provincial capital Manado, has erupted more than three times since Tuesday.
Authorities have raised the alert level to the second highest level following increased activity, PVMBG Head Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari told Reuters.
The eruption of Mount Ruang was triggered by a recent earthquake on the island, and the volcano ejected a “dangerous, explosive hot cloud” as high as 1.8 km into the sky, he said.
“We have to clear the island because we expect more eruptions. No activity is permitted within four kilometers of the crater,” he said.
Footage seen by Reuters showed streams of red lava flowing down the mountain, reflected in the waters below, and billowing ash above its crater.
Ruang Island is home to about 838 residents, most of whom have now been evacuated to the nearby island of Tagulandang, Heruningtyas said.
Indonesia sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area of high seismic activity that sits atop various tectonic plates.
