Indonesia’s Mount Ruang volcano has erupted again, prompting authorities to issue the highest level of alert and warn of a possible tsunami.
The remote volcano, located in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, erupted about 1.15am local time on Tuesday, sending a tower of ash more than 2000m into the sky, the country’s volcanology agency said.
Locals and tourists are warned not to go within a 7km radius of the centre of the active crater, with thousands of people on Ruang island and nearby Tagulandang island ordered to evacuate.
The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) warned of “potential for ejections of incandescent rocks, hot clouds and tsunamis due to eruptive material entering the sea”.
Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, more than 100 kilometres away, was also closed for “aviation safety and security reasons” and expected to reopen at noon on Wednesday, local time.
Images showed the volcano on Tuesday sent a molten red column bursting into the sky, a large ash cloud spilling from the crater and burning embers near local houses. It was accompanied by an earthquake.
People in the area should stay alert and wear masks to avoid exposure to volcanic ash.
The national disaster agency BNPB estimated 11,000 to 12,000 people had to be relocated, spokesman Abdul Muhari told a press conference.
He said military and police were helping to evacuate residents.
Mount Ruang erupted more than half a dozen times in April and the more than 800 people who live on Ruang island had already been evacuated that month.
Some had returned to their homes after the emergency response ended on Monday, an AFP journalist said.
It was unclear how many residents had gone back and how many were forced to evacuate once more. But Abdul said those who were previously evacuated from Ruang had been to be taken to provincial capital Manado to await relocation, unable to return to their homes because of the fear of eruptions.
Thousands from neighbouring Tagulandang island north were being moved to Siau island because of the tsunami warning.
“We urge people in Tagulandang island to stay away from coastal areas, to be on alert for the potential of a tsunami to occur,” Abdul said, citing an 1871 wave that killed around 400 people after volcanic debris fell into the sea.
The tsunami fears were also informed by more recent events, AFP reported.
The crater of Mount Anak Krakatoa, between Java and Sumatra islands, also partly collapsed in 2018 when a major eruption sent huge chunks of the volcano sliding into the ocean, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 400 people and injured thousands.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.
The Australian government’s Smartraveller website warns “many of Indonesia’s volcanoes are active and can erupt without warning”.
It advises Aussie travellers to adhere to exclusion zones around volcanoes, which can change at short notice, and follow the advice of local authorities.
– with AFP