By Gracey Wakary and Edna Tarigan -
The Associated Press
Indonesian authorities closed an airport and residents abandoned their homes near an erupting volcano on Thursday due to the dangers of scattered ash, falling rocks, volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami.
Mount Ruang, on the island of North Sulawesi, experienced at least five large eruptions on Wednesday, prompting the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation to
issue its highest-level alert
, warning of an ongoing eruption. .
The crater emitted grayish-white smoke continuously Thursday that rose more than 1,600 feet (500 meters) above the mountain peak.
Authorities have ordered people to stay at least 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) away from the 2,378-foot (725-meter) mountain. More than 11,000 people living in the affected area were ordered to leave. At least 800 have done so.
An international airport in the city of Manado was temporarily closed this Thursday due to volcanic ash.
“We have to close flight operations at Sam Ratulangi Airport due to the spread of volcanic ash, which
could endanger flight safety
,” said Ambar Suryoko, head of the regional airport authority.
According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, Wednesday night's eruptions sent volcanic ash about 70,000 feet high. In a statement issued Thursday, the office said it was monitoring and forecasting the dispersion of ash.
Indonesia's volcanology center said risks from the volcanic eruption include the possibility of part of the volcano collapsing into the sea and causing a tsunami. In December 2018, Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcanic island erupted and collapsed, losing about three-quarters of its volume and
triggering a powerful tsunami that killed more than 400 people
. An 1871 eruption on Mount Ruang also caused a tsunami.
Tagulandang Island, east of the Ruang volcano, could be in danger if a collapse occurs. Its inhabitants are among those who have received the evacuation order.
“People who live in the Tagulandang Island area and are within a 6-kilometer radius should be immediately evacuated to a safe place outside the 6-kilometer radius,” Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the National Mitigation Agency, said Thursday. of Disasters. “Especially those who live near the coast should be aware of the possibility of falling hot rocks, hot clouds and tsunami waves from part of the volcano into the sea.”
The agency said the residents will be relocated to Manado, the nearest city on the island of Sulawesi, after a six-hour boat trip.
Indonesia,
an archipelago of 270 million people
, has 120 active volcanoes. The country is prone to volcanic activity because it is located along the so-called “Ring of Fire,” a series of horseshoe-shaped seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean.