Manado, Indonesia — Reports from Indonesia indicate that Mount Ruang volcano has emitted another round of hot clouds on Wednesday, following a recent eruption that led to the closure of schools and airports. The eruption on Tuesday resulted in volcanic debris raining down on nearby villages and prompted hundreds of residents to evacuate. As a precaution, seven airports, including the Sam Ratulangi international airport in Manado, have been shut down. This marks the second eruption in the past two weeks, with schools also being closed to shield children from the effects of volcanic ash.
Located on the small Ruang Island within the Sitaro islands chain, the volcano continues to pose a threat to surrounding areas. The Indonesian geological agency has advised people to maintain a safe distance of at least 4 miles from the volcano's crater. Additionally, residents of Tagulandang Island, the nearest to the volcano, have been warned about the potential risk of super-heated volcanic clouds in the event of another eruption, along with the possibility of a tsunami should the volcano's dome collapse into the sea.
Video footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency depicted the evacuation of approximately one hundred villagers from Tagulandang Island via a navy ship. Meanwhile, a large group of individuals waited at a local port for their turn to be evacuated.
An official from the agency, Abdul Muhari, stated that between 11,000 to 12,000 residents residing within the 4-mile danger zone would be transported to government shelters.
Following the eruption of Mount Ruang on April 17, authorities issued warnings about the potential collapse of the volcano into the sea during a subsequent eruption.
Mount Ruang is just one of approximately 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The country, situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a region known for its high seismic and volcanic activity, is susceptible to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes due to its location along a series of fault lines stretching from the western coast of the Americas through Japan and Southeast Asia.
