Mount Ruang volcano in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province continues to wreak havoc as it erupted multiple times on Tuesday, prompting evacuations and the closure of a nearby international airport. The country’s volcanology agency raised the alert level to its highest as the volcano spewed ash more than 5 kilometers into the sky.
This latest eruption comes after Mount Ruang erupted over half a dozen times this month, leading to the evacuation of more than 6,000 people. The agency reinstated a 6-kilometer exclusion zone and warned of the potential for ejections of incandescent rocks, hot clouds, and tsunamis due to eruption material entering the sea.
Images released by the agency showed a molten red column bursting into the sky, a large ash cloud spilling from the crater, and burning embers near local houses. More than 800 people live on Ruang, all of whom were evacuated earlier this month. Some residents had returned home after the emergency response status ended, but it remains unclear how many had to evacuate once more.
The eruption also led to the closure of Sam Ratulangi international airport in Manado, more than 100 kilometers away, due to “Ruang volcanic ash.” Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely as Mount Ruang remains a significant threat to the surrounding communities.