Ruang Volcano Eruption Forces Closure of Manado International Airport in Indonesia

The Indonesian Ministry of Transport has closed the Manado International Airport, which is about 100 kilometers from the volcano, today after several strong eruptions of the Ruang volcano. Hundreds of people have also heeded the calls of the authorities and are leaving the threatened area on the northern side of the island of Sulawesi. About 11,000 people were ordered to evacuate on Wednesday.

The Ruang volcano has seen at least five major eruptions since Tuesday, with ash rising up to a kilometer high, writes AFP. Authorities fear that part of the 725-metre-high volcano could fall into the sea and trigger a tsunami, as it did in an eruption in 1871. The authorities raised a warning of a maximum of four today because of the lava.

“During the night today, the volcano spewed material, stones started falling here. People started to evacuate themselves, but there was confusion,” said rescue director Jandry Paendong. A group of 20 rescuers gradually took the endangered residents away in inflatable boats, said Paendong .

Authorities have established a six kilometer security perimeter around the smoldering volcano, where access is prohibited. Nevertheless, they appear on social networks views lava with huge black smoke and red flashes. Due to the falling stones, the hospital was also evacuated, and several houses were damaged.

Manado Airport serves international and regional flights. The low-cost airline AirAsia has suspended flights at nine airports in the region because of the threat, Reuters writes. Malaysia Airlines has canceled 19 flights, he writes server The Borneo Post.

Indonesia lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire – the most geologically active region on Earth, where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are frequent. There are about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia.