Following several eruptions from the Ruang volcano in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, over 800 people have been evacuated. The volcano has been spewing lava and ash clouds into the sky for days, prompting action by the country’s volcanology agency.
Since Tuesday, the Ruang volcano, situated on Ruang Island approximately 100 km (62 miles) away from the provincial capital Manado, has experienced more than three eruptions.
BREAKING – Ruang volcano erupts in Indonesia, lava flows, hundreds evacuated pic.twitter.com/bpjpmXoz3Z
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Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) issued a news release on Wednesday, reporting that volcanic activity has intensified. As a result, officials raised the alert level to three, which is the second-highest warning level in their monitoring system.
The eruption of Mt. Ruang were triggered by recent earthquakes on the island, with the mountain emitting dangerous and “explosive hot clouds” as high as 1.8 km (1.1 miles) into the sky, she said.
“We must clear the island because we anticipate there could be more eruptions. No activity is allowed within four kilometres from the crater,” she said.
The night sky glowed red and flashed with lightning as Indonesia's Mount Ruang volcano erupted Wednesday evening, forcing hundreds to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/7bwUhi2Bt7
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Footage captured the mesmerizing sight of red lava cascading down the mountain slopes, its fiery glow reflected in the waters below. Above the volcano’s crater, ominous clouds of grey ash billowed into the sky. Ruang Island, with approximately 838 residents, has seen most of its inhabitants evacuated to the nearby island of Tagulandang, according to Heruningtyas.
Indonesia is situated along the notorious ‘Pacific Ring of Fire,’ a region characterized by intense seismic activity due to the convergence of multiple tectonic plates.
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