Tsunami alert issued following catastrophic Indonesian volcano eruption
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Alerts have been raised after Indonesia's Mount Ruang, a stratovolcano in North Sulawesi Province, erupted five times in a 24-hour period.
The eruptions have forced the evacuation of 11,000 people and prompted authorities to issue a tsunami warning last Wednesday, April 17.
Mount Ruang, a 725-meter volcano located on remote Ruang Island, erupted on Tuesday night, April 16, spewing fiery lava and ash plumes thousands of metres into the air.
The eruptions continued throughout the next day, with the force of the explosions increasing.
Mount Ruang's eruption caused ash clouds to billow thousands of metres into the sky, and the affect was far and wide. The volcano is located 1,640 kilometres from Bali.
The Sam Ratulangi International Airport located in the provincial capital of Manado has been closed due to the volcanic activity.
Experts fear Mount Ruang could collapse into the sea and trigger a tsunami, prompting authorities to issue a heightened alert for North Sulawesi Province.
‘In light of the escalating volcanic activity, Mount Ruang's alert level has been elevated to Level 4,’ said Hendra Gunawan, Director of Indonesia's volcanology agency.
‘The force of the eruption is getting bigger and has emitted hot clouds of approximately 1.7 kilometres.’
‘Be on alert for the potential ejection of rocks, hot cloud discharges and tsunami caused by the collapse of the volcano’s body into the sea,’ Gunawan added.
The authorities have expanded the exclusion zone around the crater from four to six kilometres to protect residents from potential harm.
The state news agency, Antara, reported that over 800 individuals from two villages on Ruang Island have been evacuated to Tagulandang Island, more than 100 kilometres north of Manado, the provincial capital.
There have been no reports of any casualties.
Indonesia is home to over 120 active volcanoes, more than any other country in the world.
It sits along a 40,000-kilometre arc of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean, making it prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
The Guardian covered the story here:
Source: The Guardian/YouTube
We will continue to follow this developing story and provide updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, our thoughts are with those affected by the eruptions in Indonesia, and we hope for their continued safety.
The eruptions have forced the evacuation of 11,000 people and prompted authorities to issue a tsunami warning last Wednesday, April 17.
Mount Ruang, a 725-meter volcano located on remote Ruang Island, erupted on Tuesday night, April 16, spewing fiery lava and ash plumes thousands of metres into the air.
The eruptions continued throughout the next day, with the force of the explosions increasing.
Mount Ruang erupted five times in 24 hours. Image source: Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation
Mount Ruang's eruption caused ash clouds to billow thousands of metres into the sky, and the affect was far and wide. The volcano is located 1,640 kilometres from Bali.
The Sam Ratulangi International Airport located in the provincial capital of Manado has been closed due to the volcanic activity.
Experts fear Mount Ruang could collapse into the sea and trigger a tsunami, prompting authorities to issue a heightened alert for North Sulawesi Province.
‘In light of the escalating volcanic activity, Mount Ruang's alert level has been elevated to Level 4,’ said Hendra Gunawan, Director of Indonesia's volcanology agency.
‘The force of the eruption is getting bigger and has emitted hot clouds of approximately 1.7 kilometres.’
‘Be on alert for the potential ejection of rocks, hot cloud discharges and tsunami caused by the collapse of the volcano’s body into the sea,’ Gunawan added.
The authorities have expanded the exclusion zone around the crater from four to six kilometres to protect residents from potential harm.
The state news agency, Antara, reported that over 800 individuals from two villages on Ruang Island have been evacuated to Tagulandang Island, more than 100 kilometres north of Manado, the provincial capital.
There have been no reports of any casualties.
Indonesia is home to over 120 active volcanoes, more than any other country in the world.
It sits along a 40,000-kilometre arc of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean, making it prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
The Guardian covered the story here:
Source: The Guardian/YouTube
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