Indonesia raises alert level to highest, warns of tsunami as volcano erupts

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province, Indonesia, erupts on April 17, 2024. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – An airport in Madano city, the capital of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, has been ordered closed while hundreds of people evacuated and the alert level raised to the highest on April 18 due to large-scale volcanic eruptions of Mount Ruang.

On late April 17, the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation released a tsunami alert after Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi continued to spew lava and ash high into the sky.

More than 11,000 people have been requested to evacuate. Budget airline Air Asia cancelled flights with nine airports in East Malaysia and Brunei after aviation authorities warned of a safety threat.

Eruptions on April 17 evening followed small-scale eruptions since April 16 morning.

The Jakarta-based centre urged immediate evacuation of all tourists and residents within a 6km radius of the volcano, including Ruang Island and nearby Tagulandang Island.

Earlier, this centre reported that local authorities had evacuated 828 residents in Tagulandang Island.

Mount Ruang, about 100km from Manado, is 725m above sea level.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. It is one of the countries with the most numbers of active volcanoes./.   

VNA