Indonesian rescuers sprang into action on Thursday to evacuate thousands of people after a volcano erupted five times, necessitating the closure of a nearby airport and prompting warnings about the threat of falling debris capable of triggering a tsunami.
The crater of Mount Ruang was ablaze with lava against a mesmerizing backdrop of lightning bolts overnight, following four eruptions on Wednesday. Consequently, authorities raised its alert level to the highest tier within a four-tiered system.
As of Thursday morning, the volcano located in Indonesia’s outermost region was still emitting a column of smoke, prompting authorities to enact a 24-hour closure of the nearest international airport in Manado City on Sulawesi Island.
Authorities stated that they were hurrying to evacuate 11,000 residents from the vicinity, which included the isolated island of Tagulandang, where around 20,000 individuals reside.
According to officials, some residents were already attempting to escape in panic, as reported.
“Last night people evacuated on their own but without direction due to the volcano’s eruption and materials in the form of small rocks that fell, so the people scattered to find evacuation routes,” Jandry Paendong, an official from the local search and rescue agency, said in a statement Thursday.
He said 20 staff were helping evacuate residents along the coastline near the volcano on rubber boats.
He called for more boats and equipment so his team could “carry out evacuation for people in the coast or near the coast” facing the volcano.
Tourists and residents were warned to remain outside a six-kilometre exclusion zone.
More than 800 people were initially taken to safety from Ruang to nearby Tagulandang island after the first eruption on Tuesday evening before four more eruptions on Wednesday.
Authorities also warned of a possible tsunami as a result of the eruptions.
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“The communities in Tagulandang island, particularly those residing near the beach, (need) to be on alert for the potential ejection of incandescent rocks, hot clouds discharges and tsunami caused by the collapse of the volcano’s body into the sea,” Hendra Gunawan, head of Indonesia’s volcanology agency, said in a statement Wednesday.
The authorities’ anxieties were exacerbated by previous incidents.
Indonesia, being a sprawling archipelago nation, frequently witnesses seismic and volcanic occurrences owing to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” This region, where tectonic plates intersect, spans from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
In 2018, the crater of Mount Anak Krakatoa, located between Java and Sumatra islands, experienced a partial collapse during a major eruption, causing significant segments of the volcano to descend into the ocean. This catastrophic event resulted in a tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 400 individuals and left thousands wounded.
Mount Ruang’s eruption led to the temporary closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado City, which is situated more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from the volcano. The airport remained shut for 24 hours until Thursday evening.
The airport runways were shut “due to the spread of volcanic ash which could endanger flight safety,” Ambar Suryoko, head of the Manado region airport authority office, said in a statement.
Among its services, the airport facilitates airlines that offer flights to Singapore, as well as various cities in South Korea and China.
Dimas, a 29-year-old airport officer in Manado, informed the press that all flights had been affected due to the airport’s exposure to the eruption of Mount Ruang, resulting in the presence of volcanic ash.