Hanoi (VNA) - The Indonesian government will permanently relocate almost 10,000 residents after a series of explosive eruptions of the Ruang volcano have raised concerns about the dangers of residing on the island in future, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said on May 3.
About 9,800 people live on Ruang island in the province of North Sulawesi, but in recent weeks all residents have been forced to evacuate after the mountain has continued to spew incandescent lava and columns of ash kilometres into the sky.
Authorities have raised the alert status of the volcano to the highest level, closed the provincial airport in Manado, and also warned of a possible tsunami if parts of the mountain collapse into the surrounding waters.
Hundreds of "simple but permanent" homes would be built in the Bolaang Mongondow area to facilitate the relocations, said Effendy, after a cabinet meeting on May 3.
He said that as instructed by President Joko Widodo, the country will build houses that meet disaster-standards, adding that the site was located about 200 km (125 miles) from Ruang island.
Mount Ruang began to dramatically erupt last month, with experts saying the eruptions were triggered by increased seismic activity, including deep sea earthquakes.
The mountain erupted again on April 30, causing damage to some homes and forcing residents to evacuate from Tagulandang island, where they had initially sought refuge, to the provincial capital of Manado.
The volcano had not erupted on May 3 but Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport remained closed until the evening due to the spread of volcanic ash./.
