Indonesia volcano eruptions force thousands to evacuate as airlines cancel flights

CNN —

Renewed eruptions from a remote Indonesian volcano have triggered fresh evacuation orders and sparked flight cancellations and airport closures this week with smoke, lava and volcanic gasses spewing out of the fiery mountain.

Mount Ruang, a 725-meter (2,400-foot) volcano on Ruang Island, North Sulawesi, has been erupting in spectacular fashion on and off since mid-April, posing a growing threat to those living nearby and to air traffic in the region.

The volcano erupted three times on Tuesday, sending lava and ash clouds into the sky and prompting Indonesia’s national PVMBG volcanology agency to issue its highest alert, warning that a tsunami could be triggered by “volcanic material collapsing into the ocean.”

This handout photograph taken and released by the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation on April 17, 2024 shows Mount Ruang spewing hot lava and smoke as seen from Sitaro, North Sulawesi. A volcano erupted several times in Indonesia's outermost region overnight on April 17, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated after it spewed lava and a column of smoke more than a mile into the sky. Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation/AFP via Getty Images

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Ruang lies just off the coast of the larger Tagulandang island, where authorities have called on more than 12,000 people to evacuate, according to Reuters.

Footage released by the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) on Thursday showed huge crowds of people awaiting evacuation at ports and towering ash plumes.

PVMBG raised alert levels on Tuesday, warning of “new eruptions and continuous earthquakes” while advising the