Thousands evacuated as Mount Ruang erupts

MANADO (Indonesia): Indonesian rescuers raced to evacuate thousands of people yesterday after a volcano erupted five times, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport and issue a warning over falling debris that could cause a tsunami.

The crater of Mount Ruang flamed with lava against a backdrop of lightning bolts overnight after erupting four times on Wednesday, forcing authorities to raise its alert level to the highest of a four-tiered system.

The volcano in Indonesia’s outermost region was still billowing a column of smoke yesterday morning, prompting authorities to shut the nearest international airport in Manado city on Sulawesi island for 24 hours.

Authorities said they were rushing to evacuate 11,000 residents from the nearby area that included the remote island of Tagulandang, home to around 20,000 people. Some residents were already trying to flee in a panic, according to officials.

“Last night, people evacuated on their own, but without direction due to the volcano’s eruption and materials in the form of small rocks that fell, so the people scattered to find evacuation routes,” said search and rescue agency official Jandry Paendong.

He said 20 staff members were helping evacuate residents along the coastline near the volcano on rubber boats.

He called for more boats and equipment so his team could “carry out evacuation for people in the coast or near the coast” facing the volcano.

Tourists and residents were warned to remain outside a 6km exclusion zone. Authorities also warned of a possible tsunami as a result of the eruptions.

“The communities in Tagulandang island, particularly those residing near the beach, need to be on alert for the potential ejection of incandescent rocks, hot clouds discharges and tsunami caused by the collapse of the volcano’s body into the sea,” volcanology agency head Hendra Gunawan said on Wednesday.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.