Manado, Indonesia — Indonesia’s Mount Ruang volcano spewed more hot clouds Wednesday after an eruption the day before forced the closure of schools and airports, showered volcanic debris on villages and forced hundreds of people to flee. Seven airports, including Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, capital of North Sulawesi province, remained closed after Tuesday’s eruption, the second in two weeks. Schools closed to protect children from volcanic ash.
The volcano is located on the small Ruang Island, part of the Sitaro island chain.
Indonesia’s geological agency urged people to stay at least 4 miles from the volcano’s crater. He warned people on nearby Tagulandang Island, the closest to the volcano, of possible superheated volcanic clouds due to a new eruption and a Tsunami if the volcanic dome of the mountain collapses in the ocean.
Tuesday’s eruption darkened the sky and sprayed several villages with ash, sand and rocks. No victims were reported. The country’s disaster management agency posted dramatic video online of dozens of lightning bolts flashing in the cloud of hot gases and debris belching from the volcano’s crater overnight.
A video released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed about a hundred villagers from Tagulandang Island being evacuated on a navy ship. Hundreds more people were waiting at a local port to be evacuated.
Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said between 11,000 and 12,000 people living within the 4-mile danger zone would be taken to government shelters.
Year The eruption of Mount Ruang on April 17Authorities warned that a subsequent eruption could collapse part of the volcano into the sea.
Ruang is among the 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The archipelagic nation is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a series of fault lines that stretch from the western coast of America to Japan and Southeast Asia.