(Jakarta) Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami warning on Wednesday after eruptions on Ruang Mountain threw ash hundreds of meters into the air. Authorities ordered more than 11,000 people to leave the area.
The volcano located in the north of Sulawesi island has experienced at least five large eruptions in the past 24 hours, the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards Mitigation said. Authorities have raised their volcano alert to the highest level.
At least 800 residents left the area earlier Wednesday.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million inhabitants, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it lies along the “Ring of Fire”, a linear, horseshoe-shaped collection of volcanoes and seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean.
Authorities have urged tourists and others to stay at least 6 kilometers away from the 725 meter Ruang volcano.
Authorities fear that part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami, as during the 1871 eruption.
The island of Tagulandang, northeast of the volcano, is under threat again and its residents are among those asked to evacuate.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said residents would be transferred to Manado, the nearest town on Sulawesi island, a six-hour boat ride.
In 2018, the eruption of Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano caused a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java after parts of the mountain fell into the ocean, killing 430 people.