TAGULANDANG: A remote volcano in Indonesia’s outermost region erupted again Friday, local authorities and an AFP journalist said, after the crater threw up columns of smoke and lava multiple times this week and forced thousands to evacuate.
“The volcano erupts again,” said the AFP journalist on the island of Tagulandang which neighbours Mount Ruang.
The country’s volcanology agency later confirmed the eruption sent a plume of smoke 400 metres above the peak.
“There was an eruption of Mt Ruang, North Sulawesi” at 1706 local time, 0906 GMT, it said.
“The ash column was observed to be grey in colour… and leaning towards the south.”
While officials said Ruang had started to calm Friday, authorities maintained the highest alert level on a four-tiered system, which indicates high volcanic activity.
They also told residents to remain more than six kilometres from the crater.
Mount Ruang erupted nearly half a dozen times in 24 hours beginning on late Tuesday, stirring a spectacular mix of fiery orange lava, a towering ash column and volcanic lightning.
While officials said Ruang had started to calm on Friday, authorities maintained the highest alert level of a four-tiered system, which indicates high volcanic activity.
Hundreds of locals on neighbouring Tagulandang island were seen cleaning up volcanic material from the harbour and their yards on Friday morning with the help of soldiers and police officers, according to an AFP journalist.
Some described their panic and rush to safety when the eruption began. White smoke of “medium to high intensity” was seen billowing up to 100 metres above the crater, Abdul Muhari, the national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) spokesman said in a statement.
Other residents pleaded for more assistance.Elsewhere houses could be seen lying empty and the electricity was out in parts of the island, the journalist said.
Officials said on Thursday communications had been knocked out on parts of both Ruang and Tagulandang island, which hosts around 20,000 people. – AFP
