On April 18, VOV reported that the Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) announced that over the past 24 hours, at Ruang volcano in North Sulawesi province, there have been at least 5 eruptions with columns of gray ash rising from 1,800 meters to 3,000 meters from the mountain's peak. The eruptions were accompanied by loud noises, earthquakes and volcanic lightning.
On the evening of April 17, Indonesian authorities raised the alert level of Mount Ruang to level 4 - the highest alert level in the 4-level warning system. Most of the residents, including more than 800 people, living on Ruang Island near the volcano have been evacuated to neighboring Tagulandang Island by boat and ferry. These people are temporarily staying at churches, sports centers, and community houses on Tagulandang Island and are in dire need of blankets, tents, clean utensils, etc.
PVMBG chief Hendra Gunawan advised residents of Tagulandang Island, especially those living near the coast, to be vigilant against the risk of the volcano continuing to erupt with rocks, lava, hot ash, while parts of the volcano collapsed into the sea and earthquakes could cause tsunamis. Hail and gravel have been reported in some areas of Tagulandang Island. Residents and visitors are asked to continue to evacuate immediately and not enter the area within a 6km radius of the Ruang crater.
Director of the Disaster Data Center of the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Mr. Abdul Muhari, said on April 18 that the estimated number of people in this area that had to be immediately evacuated was 11,615.
On April 18, CNA news agency also reported that smoke and ash filled the airspace this morning, forcing the international airport in the nearby city of Manado to temporarily close for 24 hours. This airport has airlines flying to Singapore and cities in South Korea and China.
According to CAN , Indonesia's fear of this eruption comes partly from a previous disaster. In 2018, the Anak Krakatoa volcano erupted, causing a tsunami that killed more than 400 people and injured thousands.
Indonesia, a large archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of colliding tectonic plates that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
Quoc Tiep (according to VOV, Hanoi Moi)
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