JAKARTA, ID – Indonesia’s authorities sounded a tsunami warning on Wednesday following the eruption of the Ruang mountain, which spewed ash thousands of feet into the sky. Over 11,000 individuals were instructed to evacuate the area by officials.
Ruang mountain, situated on the north side of the Sulawesi island, experienced at least five significant eruptions within the last 24 hours, as reported by Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation. The volcano alert level was subsequently elevated to its maximum.
Earlier on Wednesday, a minimum of 800 inhabitants had already left the area.
Indonesia, a nation composed of 270 million people spread across an archipelago, is home to 120 active volcanoes. The country is a hotspot for volcanic activity due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” a seismic fault line that encircles the Pacific Ocean in the shape of a horseshoe.
The authorities have advised tourists and others to maintain a distance of at least 3.7 miles from the 2,378-foot-high Ruang volcano. There is a concern that a section of the volcano might fall into the sea, potentially triggering a tsunami, similar to an event that occurred in 1871.
The Tagulandang island, located northeast of the volcano, is once again under threat, and its inhabitants are among those being evacuated. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency of Indonesia stated that residents would be moved to Manado, the closest city on Sulawesi island, a trip that takes approximately six hours by boat.
In 2018, an eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia resulted in a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java. The tsunami was triggered when parts of the mountain collapsed into the ocean, resulting in 430 fatalities.