(Manado) Emergency services are mobilized Thursday in Indonesia to evacuate several thousand people threatened by an erupting volcano in the north of the archipelago after an alert on the risk of a tsunami if the rocks collapse into the sea.
The Ruang volcano has experienced five eruptions since Tuesday and projected a cloud of ash more than a kilometer high into the sky, forcing the Ministry of Transport to close the Manado international airport located more than a hundred kilometers away.
The volcano’s crater ignited and spewed lava during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, prompting authorities to raise the alert level to the highest on a scale of four.
Taka, a local fisherman who gave only one name, was at sea helping people to safety by boat when the crater released a column of fiery smoke.
“There was a mixture of fire and rocks. The lava flowed in different directions,” he told AFP.
PHOTO HANDOUT, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The volcano, located on a small island in the northern province of Celebes, in an isolated area of the archipelago, was still releasing a column of smoke up to 800 meters high on Thursday morning, according to authorities.
Houses on the neighboring island of Tagulandang are riddled with holes from falling volcanic rocks, and residents are preparing to leave, at least temporarily.
The roads in particular are “covered with volcanic material,” Ikram Al Ulah, a local rescuer contacted by telephone from the seaport of Tagulandang, told AFP.
“Currently, many people are still wandering. Perhaps to evacuate valuable possessions from their house,” he added.
11,000 people evacuated
Authorities announced the evacuation of 11,000 people in the area near the volcano, which includes the island of Tagulandang, where around 20,000 people live.
Some residents tried to flee in panic, according to authorities.
“Last night, people evacuated on their own, in disorder, due to the eruption of the volcano and materials, small stones that fell,” Jandry Paendong, an official with the agency, said Thursday. relief, in a press release.
A team of around twenty people is evacuating residents living along the coast facing the volcano on inflatable boats, he said.
Authorities also evacuated a prison on the island of Tagulandang, transporting 17 inmates as well as 11 staff and 19 residents by boat to the seaport of Likupang in northern Sulawesi island, according to Ikram Al Ulah.
The evacuation was requested by the prison director because the facility is right in front of the volcano, the rescuer said.
Locals and tourists have been urged not to go more than six kilometers from the volcano.
More than 800 people had already been moved from Ruang to the neighboring island of Tagulandang after the first eruption on Tuesday evening, before four more eruptions occurred on Wednesday.
Tsunami alert
Authorities also warned of a possible risk of a tsunami.
“Residents of Tagulandang Island, especially those residing near the beach, should be on alert for the risk of incandescent rock projections, fiery clouds and tsunami caused by the collapse of the mass of the volcano in the sea,” Hendra Gunawan, director of Indonesia’s volcanology agency, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The authorities’ fears have been reinforced by previous disasters.
In 2018, the crater of the Anak Krakatoa volcano, located between the islands of Java and Sumatra, partially collapsed during an eruption, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 400 people.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of tectonic plates causes significant volcanic and seismic activity. The country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.
The eruption of Mount Ruang led to the closure of Manado International Airport, located more than 100 kilometers from the volcano, for 24 hours until Thursday evening, before being extended until midnight.
Manado airport’s runways were closed “due to the spread of volcanic ash which could compromise flight safety,” said Ambar Suryoko, director of the Manado region airport authority office.
The airport hosts airlines serving Singapore as well as cities in South Korea and China.
Budget airline AirAsia also canceled flights to and from nine airports in eastern Malaysia and Brunei until Friday morning “due to the eruption of Mount Ruang”, it said. -she writes on the social network
The volcano’s last major eruption occurred in 2002, causing damage to nearby communities and requiring the evacuation of residents.