Indonesia has declared maximum alert due to the recent volcanic activity of Mount Ruang, off the northern coast of the island of Sulawesi, which this Wednesday spewed explosive columns of intense lava, incandescent rocks and ash, local media report.
In addition to the columns of smoke, up to three kilometers high, the eruption caused a volcanic storm last night that was clearly visible and captured on video by witnesses. This phenomenon is characterized by the presence of lightning and electrical discharges that occur inside the smoke clouds with particles of ash, water vapor and gas present in the magma.
After the national volcanology agency raised the alert level to red, the authorities of the province of North Sulawesi proceeded to close the airport in its capital, Manado. At the same time, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia canceled several flights due to safety threats from the eruption. On Thursday morning, the volcano continued to spew dense and massive columns of smoke.
On the other hand, the evacuation of people from the vicinity continues and tourists and residents were warned that the restriction zone around the volcano has been expanded from 4 to 6 km. More than 800 people have been relocated to the neighboring island of Tagulandang so far, but it is estimated that around another 1,500 people in high-risk areas will need to be evacuated immediately, while almost 12,000 more could be affected, said spokesman Abdul Muhari. of the National Disaster Management Agency.
Tsunami risk
At the same time, the country’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency has warned of the risk of a potential tsunami with the increase in volcanic activity. “We continue to monitor the sea level to anticipate the possibility of a tsunami around Mount Ruang,” said Daryono, head of the agency’s Earthquake and Tsunami Center, quoted by the Antara agency.
As he explained, volcanic eruptions have the potential to cause tsunamis if a flank, part or all of the mountain collapses and falls into the ocean, and their impact can be “quite large.” Historical records indicate that in 1871 such an incident on Mount Ruang caused a tsunami up to 25 meters high that killed nearly 400 people.
So far, sea conditions do not present any risk, contrary to what was feared. Daryono reported this Thursday that the surveillance results last night “showed normal conditions without anomalies (tsunami).” However, during the last 24 hours there have been five eruptions between 1,800 and 3,000 meters high from the top of Mount Ruang.
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