The recent eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Ruang has caused chaos, with thousands evacuated and flights disrupted. The volcano, located in North Sulawesi province, erupted multiple times on Tuesday, sending ash clouds soaring more than 5km into the sky. There are concerns that debris might fall into the sea, potentially triggering a tsunami.
Videos shared by Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency showed lightning strikes above Ruang’s crater as fiery clouds of lava and rocks shot into the air. All 843 residents of Ruang Island have been relocated to Manado, the provincial capital, while 12,000 people from neighboring Tagulandang Island are being evacuated to Siau Island further north.
Rosalin Salindeho, a 95-year-old resident, described her terrifying experience of the eruption, recounting rains of rocks hitting even distant houses. The volcanic ash has reached as far as Borneo, affecting air travel in the region.
Authorities have closed seven airports, and Malaysia Airlines had to cancel flights to and from Borneo states. Julius Ramopolii, head of the Mount Ruang monitoring post, confirmed that the volcano is still emitting ash and smoke, urging residents to stay outside the designated exclusion zone.
Indonesia, situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. Mount Ruang had erupted earlier in April, leading to similar evacuations and aviation disruptions. The catastrophic eruption of Mount Anak Krakatoa in 2018 serves as a grim reminder of the region’s vulnerability to such natural disasters.
