More than 11,000 people have been warned to leave their homes, and air travel has been severely affected after Mount Ruang, a volcano in northern Indonesia, erupted multiple times.
The volcano, situated in North Sulawesi Province, first erupted at 9:45 pm local time on April 16, sending vast plumes of smoke and ash soaring into the sky, visible from miles away.
The situation escalated on April 17 with four additional eruptions. As a result, Indonesia’s volcanology agency increased the alert level for the 725-meter-high mountain to level four, which is the highest on their scale. Additionally, they expanded the danger zone around the volcano from four kilometers to six kilometers.
Widespread evacuations
Initially, over 800 people were evacuated to Tagulandang Island, located more than 100 kilometers north of the provincial capital, Manado. However, officials announced on April 18, Thursday morning, that the exclusion zone had been widened further, requiring more evacuations to the safer area of Manado.
“At least 11,615 residents who are in the risk area must evacuate to a safe place,” stated Abdul Muhari, the head of the disaster agency’s data, communications, and information center, as reported by the Kompas newspaper.
The concern isn’t limited to the eruptions themselves. Officials fear that a section of the volcano could collapse into the sea, potentially triggering a tsunami, a scenario that occurred during a previous eruption in 1871.
Video shows a spectacular lightning storm during an eruption on Indonesia’s Mount Ruang volcano. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the area. pic.twitter.com/2oxRAHn8Ia
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 18, 2024
Video footage capturing the scene showed streams of red-hot lava flowing down Mount Ruang, reflecting in the waters below, and towering clouds of grey ash rising above the volcano’s crater.
Volcanic eruption affects air travel
The volcanic activity has had significant implications for air travel. Malaysia Airlines announced the suspension of several flights between Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) and Sabah and Sarawak due to the volcanic eruption at Mount Ruang.
The closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado was announced by aviation authorities until at least Thursday evening, citing the risk posed by the spread of volcanic ash.
The closure affected flights to various countries, including China, Singapore, and South Korea. Additionally, flights to and from Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Malaysia also faced disruptions. Kota Kinabalu is over 1,100 kilometers northwest of Mount Ruang.
According to Muhammad Wafid, the head of Indonesia’s geological agency, the initial eruption of Mount Ruang sent an ash column two kilometers into the sky, with subsequent eruptions pushing it up to 2.5 kilometers.
The increased volcanic activity at Mount Ruang has been linked to two recent earthquakes in the region. Indonesia is part of the ‘Ring of Fire’, a horseshoe-shaped zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific Ocean, making it prone to seismic and volcanic events. The country is home to 120 active volcanoes.