The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Response (PVMBG) warned that parts of the volcano could fall into the sea and trigger high tidal waves. Thousands of people were brought to safety. The strongest eruption to date occurred on Wednesday evening (local time), accompanied by a spectacular volcanic thunderstorm, as reported by the Washington Post, among others, on Thursday.
On Thursday, the airport in Manado, the provincial capital of North Sulawesi, was closed as a precautionary measure. Flights between the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and the states of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo were also canceled, as the newspaper “The Borneo Post” reported, citing the airline Malaysia Airlines.
Highest alert level
Authorities in Indonesia have declared the highest alert level after multiple eruptions from the Ruang volcano. The strongest eruption to date occurred – accompanied by a spectacular volcanic thunderstorm – on Wednesday evening (local time).
Ash and stones on neighboring island
The authorities imposed a restricted zone. Jandry Paendong from the local search and rescue authority said on Thursday that some people had already tried to escape on their own during the night. Because of the volcanic eruption and the resulting falling stones, chaos arose. 20 emergency services are now helping the residents along the coast near the volcano to evacuate with inflatable boats.
According to a local rescue worker on Tagulandang, the authorities also evacuated the prison there. The prison is therefore located directly opposite the volcano. The Ruang initially erupted on Tuesday afternoon. More than 800 people were then taken from the volcanic island of Ruang to neighboring Tagulandang – before four further eruptions made the evacuation of this island necessary.
APA/AFP/Center For Volcanology And Geological Hazard Mitigation Ruang is the southernmost active volcano in the arc of Indonesia’s Sangihe Islands
Communities on the island of Tagulandang “need to prepare for the possible emission of glowing rocks, hot clouds and tsunamis that could be caused by the volcanic mass falling into the sea,” said Hendra Gunawan, director of the Indonesian Volcanology Agency.
Reminder of eruption in 1871
Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most geologically active zone on earth. The country, which has a population of around 270 million, has over 120 active volcanoes, more than anywhere else in the world.
In 2018, the western flank of the Indonesian volcano Anak Krakatau slipped into the sea after an eruption. The tsunami that was triggered by this landslide hit the coast of the Indonesian main islands of Java and Sumatra completely unprepared – 430 people died. The Ruang also triggered a violent tsunami more than 150 years ago. 400 people died in the natural disaster in 1871.
AP/BPBD Sitaro observers are surprised by the extent of the eruptions
Alert level quickly increased
This time, the rapid development of the eruption was “particularly remarkable,” it said in a blog post. A few volcanic tectonic earthquakes were registered on April 13th, and three days later there were 374 volcanic earthquakes. As a result, the alert level was “quickly increased from green to yellow to orange and finally to red” on Wednesday, according to Vulkane.net.