Manado: Indonesia’s remote Mount Ruang erupted several times on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue a high-level alert and order thousands to evacuate due to the threat of a tsunami that sent thousands fleeing into the sea.
The Worcester Department of Volcanology has warned of a threat from the volcano after it erupted more than half the time this month, prompting the evacuation of more than 6,000 people.
Ruang, in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, erupted at 01:15 WIB (1715 GMT) on Tuesday, followed by two more eruptions, the Department of Volcanology said.
The volcano sent a plume of ash more than five kilometers (3.1 miles) into the sky, as well as a column of fiery lava.
National disaster agency BNPB estimates that 11,000 to 12,000 people need to be evacuated from near the Ruang crater, spokesman Abdul Muhari told a press conference.
“Currently, local disaster mitigation agencies … the military and the police are evacuating residents.”
Images released by the agency show molten red columns in the sky, large clouds of ash pouring from the crater and flames burning near the ground.
Abdul said rescue boats and warships were dispatched to evacuate thousands of neighboring Tagulandang Island to northern Siau Island due to the tsunami warning.
“We urge the people of Tagulandang Island to stay away from coastal areas and be aware of the possibility of a tsunami,” he said, referring to the 1871 wave that killed nearly 400 people after volcanic ash flowed into the sea.
