An island volcano in Indonesia erupts. Several towns are being evacuated. Pictures and videos from local residents show the extent of the eruption.
Ruang – A volcanic eruption is always a breathtaking, albeit dangerous, natural spectacle. That's why it's not surprising that when a nearby volcano erupted on the night of April 17, an Indonesian woman immediately pulled out her cell phone and documented the event.
Resident documents violent eruption of island volcano in Indonesia
On April 16th, Yuanita Bawoleh enjoyed a relaxing day by the sea with family and friends. But the following night, an inferno broke out across the Sangihe Archipelago in Indonesia, north of the large island of Sulawesi and near the Philippines.
Bawoleh, who is active in the local evangelical church and has a son, lives in Boto village on Thulandang Island. The village is located just one and a half kilometers from the Ruang island volcano. At 1:08 a.m. local time, the volcano erupted with a massive explosion, followed by another violent eruption.
Ruang island volcano erupted: Video shows embers and volcanic thunderstorms
The embers erupting from the mountain can be seen in their video. “I'm unsure what tomorrow will look like, maybe the sky will be dark. But the Merciful still protects me,” writes Bawoleh. “Even if the mountains and the hills shake, the love and faithfulness of God will protect you, remain steadfast,” adds the deeply religious Christian.
The eruption continued the next morning, with an ash cloud rising three kilometers into the sky and darkening the sky over Boto. Bawoleh films how the volcano on the neighboring island shoots a column of eruptions into the sky, there is lightning - a volcanic thunderstorm caused by the friction of the ash particles in the cloud. Bawoleh shares the natural spectacle and quotes the Bible: “The distant sky is blue – your creation. The earth and the sea are like rubble and dust, but you love." A few hours later, a rainbow forms over their village. “Hallelujah God is good,” one user commented on the video shared by Bawoleh.
Volcano erupted without much warning
In the evening the situation becomes threatening again and Bawoleh posts: “The Ruang looks frightening with its activity: loud thunder and lightning strikes, a column of smoke and clouds of ash. But honestly, the magical light looks beautiful." But the volcano also poses a danger to her village: "Volcanic boulders thrown away by the eruption cover the road from Kampung to Boto," she writes. She trusts in God and advises others to do the same: “Friends, acquaintances, buddies, acquaintances, wherever you are – our protection is prayer.”
Other locals are also documenting the dangerous natural phenomenon, which was only announced at short notice: According to
vulkane.net,
several earthquakes were registered on Saturday. Two days later, seismic activity increased dramatically. Over 150 tremors were recorded. After 24 hours, there was another significant increase in seismicity, with another 374 volcanic earthquakes recorded. Authorities raised the alert level from green to yellow to orange to red within a day.
Volcanic eruption on island in Indonesia: Experts fear it could trigger a tsunami
The two villages on the island volcano, Laingpatihe and Pumpente, with their 838 residents, were hastily evacuated. On Thursday, the Indonesian civil protection agency expressed concerns that the 725-meter-high Ruang volcano could collapse and huge masses of rock could fall into the sea. The result would be a tsunami. In 1871, an eruption of Ruang triggered a monster wave up to 25 meters high. Around 400 people died on the neighboring island of Tagulandang. The disaster management agency PVMBG published a warning on Facebook.
The west and southwest of Tagulandang were therefore also evacuated. People have already been injured there by falling ash and stones, reports disaster control spokesman Abdul Muhari.
Indonesia is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. On both sides of the ocean, the Pacific crust submerges beneath the continental crusts of Eurasia and America. The Pacific plate melts deep down, the magma rises and this is how the volcanoes arise on the west coasts of America and in the Asian island world. Just in December, a violent volcanic eruption at Marapi in Indonesia surprised and killed hikers.
The supervolcano in Italy also worries many people. Statements in a documentary shocked the popular holiday destination. However, an expert objected. Climate change is also increasing volcanic eruptions, as a study has documented.