Indonesia’s Ruang volcano, situated near Sulawesi, erupted on Tuesday, ejecting ash and lava. This eruption follows a recent eruption that led to evacuations and the closure of an airport. The country’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) raised the alert level to its highest, cautioning residents against approaching the volcano.
Ruang Island in North Sulawesi, with over 800 residents, saw most evacuated after the earlier eruption; however, the exact number evacuated during Tuesday’s eruption remains unclear. The country’s disaster mitigation agency has not yet commented on the situation.
Videos circulating on social media showed lava streaming down the volcano, located around 100 km from Manado, the provincial capital. Following the earlier eruption, Manado’s airport was temporarily shut down due to falling rocks and ash, causing damage to homes and prompting a hospital evacuation.
Although authorities had lowered the alert level to 3 last week, it was raised back to level 4 on Tuesday. Indonesia, positioned in the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” experiences heightened seismic activity due to the convergence of multiple tectonic plates.
