JAKARTA, Indonesia – Hundreds of residents in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province were evacuated Wednesday due to multiple eruptions from the Ruang volcano.
Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure, known as BNPB, has reported that the volcano on Ruang island, located about 62 miles from the provincial capital Manado, has erupted multiple times since Tuesday, emitting lava and ash clouds into the sky. The eruption displaced 828 people from Pumpente Village and Pathology Village in the Tagulandang District.
In video footage shared by BNPB on Tuesday night, people are seen being evacuated from a ferry. In the distance, the volcano’s active crater spews a bright red glow into the dark sky.
The Multiplatform Application for Geohazard Mitigation and Assessment in Indonesia (MAGMA Indonesia) has since raised the alert level to Orange, the second-highest, due to increased activity triggered by recent earthquakes on the island.
Abdul Muhari, the head of BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center, advised communities around Mount Ruang, as well as visitors and tourists, to remain alert and avoid entering the more than two-mile radius from the center of the active crater.
“People around Mount Ruang are expected to be calm, carry out their activities as usual, not be provoked by rumors about the eruption,” he said.
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Indonesia, located in Southeast Asia and Oceania, is known for straddling the “Pacific Ring of Fire.” This region is characterized by intense seismic activity and rests atop multiple tectonic plates, including the Pacific Plate, the Philippine Plate and the Australian Plate.
The movement of these plates has led to numerous volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis throughout Indonesia’s history.
Due to its location in this geologically active region, Indonesia is considered to be one of the most seismically active countries in the world, with a high risk of natural disasters.