Jakarta: Indonesia’s Ruang volcano, located off the island of Sulawesi, erupted on Tuesday, releasing ash and lava. This event follows a recent eruption earlier this month, which prompted hundreds of evacuations and the closure of a nearby airport.
The country’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) swiftly raised the alert level to its highest, advising residents to steer clear of the volcano. The island of Ruang, situated in the province of North Sulawesi, is inhabited by over 800 residents, most of whom were evacuated after the earlier eruption. The exact number of additional evacuations on Tuesday remains unclear, as the country’s disaster mitigation agency has yet to respond to inquiries.
Social media footage on Tuesday depicted lava cascading down the volcano, located approximately 100 km (62 miles) from the provincial capital, Manado. While Reuters couldn’t immediately authenticate the footage, it underscores the severity of the eruption.
Manado’s airport faced temporary closure following the earlier eruption this month. Falling rocks and ash caused damage to homes and necessitated the evacuation of a nearby hospital. Despite authorities downgrading the alert level to level 3 last week, it was escalated back to level 4 on Tuesday, indicating the heightened risk posed by the ongoing volcanic activity.
Indonesia, situated within the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” experiences elevated seismic activity due to the convergence of multiple tectonic plates.
