More than 2,100 individuals residing near the erupting Mount Ruang in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi Province were swiftly evacuated on Apr. 19, facing imminent threats from flying ash, falling rocks, scorching volcanic clouds, and even the possibility of a tsunami. The eruption unleashed at least three powerful bursts since the afternoon, with the maximum height of the eruption column reaching 1,200 m.
Authorities have told more than 11,000 residents from the endangered zones to evacuate for their safety. Indonesia’s volcanology agency raised the alert level for the eruption to four, the highest on the scale, following four more eruptions. Collaborative endeavors among local authorities facilitated the relocation process, with residents ferried to safer grounds via boats.
Following the eruption, swathes of gray volcanic ash have shrouded homes, roads, and infrastructure. The debris flung during the eruptions shattered many a building’s roof.
Heightened concerns persist over the potentially catastrophic scenario of a part of the volcano collapsing into the sea and causing a tsunami as it did in a previous eruption in 1871. Should this scenario occur, the residents of the nearby Tagulandang Island would be in peril, necessitating their relocation to Manado, the city a six-hour boat journey away.
The eruption has also affected operations at Sam Ratulangi International Airport Manado, less than 100 km from Mount Ruang. The airport closed its airspace as volcanic ash blanketed the skies, making safe flight operations near impossible.
Indonesia is an archipelago with a population of 270 million people. Sitting along the “Ring of Fire,” a volatile belt of seismic activity around the edges of the Pacific Ocean, the country has over 120 active volcanos.