Tsunami danger continues

Indonesia: Ruang volcano erupts again

(Bild: APA/AFP/Ronny Adolof Buol)

The Indonesian volcano Ruang erupted again on Friday, emitting large quantities of ash. Thousands of people have already been evacuated to safety due to the eruptions of Ruang, which began on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, a lightning storm erupted during the emission of an ash cloud (see video above).

The highest warning level four remained in place on Friday. Residents of the neighboring island of Tagulandang continued to be warned of the danger of a tsunami caused by lava and rocks ejected by the volcano. The local authorities had initially declared on Friday that the Ruang had calmed down, but that the danger had not yet been averted.

A few hours later, the volcano did in fact emit large quantities of ash again. According to the Indonesian volcanology authority, the ash cloud rose 400 meters above the crater. Local residents were asked to wear protective masks to avoid respiratory problems.

The Indonesian volcano Ruang erupted again on Friday and emitted large quantities of ash.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Ronny Adolof Buol)

Soldiers and police help islanders
30-year-old Riko, who lives on the neighboring island of Tagulandang, said he was "surprised" by the renewed eruption. "We are scared," he reported. Before the renewed eruption, hundreds of residents on Tagulandang had begun clearing away the debris that had fallen on their villages in recent days. As a reporter from the AFP news agency reported, the islanders were assisted by soldiers and police.

The 64-year-old islander Herman Sahoa said that the debris ejected by the volcano had damaged the roof of his house. "We really need tarpaulins as soon as possible so that we can seal the leaking roof," he told the AFP news agency. The power supply was also paralyzed in parts of the island.

Since Tuesday evening (local time), the Ruang has erupted about half a dozen times within 24 hours.

(Bild: AFP)

Since Tuesday evening (local time), Mount Ruang in north-eastern Indonesia has erupted around half a dozen times within 24 hours. A column of smoke hundreds of meters high rose above the crater and lava flowed down the slopes.

The Ruang is located on a small island not far from Tagulandang, where around 20,000 people live. More than 6,000 of them were brought to safety on the side of the island facing away from the volcano, as Joikson Sagunde from the local disaster management authority said on Friday. No injuries were initially reported.

Tsunami warning remains in place for the time being
An exclusion zone has been set up within a radius of six kilometers around the Ruang. The warning that lava and rocks ejected from the volcano could trigger a tsunami remained in place for the time being on Friday.

The international airport in the city of Manado, more than 100 kilometers away, was also closed due to the volcanic eruptions. According to the national disaster control authority, flight operations were not due to resume until Friday evening.

Southeast Asia's Indonesia, with its more than 17,000 islands, lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where several earth plates collide. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are therefore a frequent occurrence there.