Indonesia closed a provincial airport and evacuated hundreds of residents from the neighborhood of the Ruang volcano after it belched explosive plumes of lava, rocks, and ash for days, officials said on Thursday.
The volcano on a secluded island in the province of North Sulawesi erupted on Wednesday, spewing a fiery-red column of lava, incandescent rock, and ash up to three kilometers into the air.
More than 800 people were evacuated from the area, with authorities widening the evacuation zone further after the volcanology agency raised the alert status.
“The potential for further eruption is still high, so we need to remain alert,” agency spokesman Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari told reporters on Thursday, blaming the sudden increase in volcanic activity.
The agency had also received reports that falling rocks and ash damaged homes and forced a nearby hospital to evacuate, the official said.
Transport authorities shut the airport in the provincial capital of Manado to protect against the showers of ash from the eruption.
Air Asia, a budget airline, suspended flights to nine airports in East Malaysia and Brunei after aviation officials warned of a safety danger.
Officials have closed off a six-kilometer radius surrounding the volcano and are evacuating more residents, including those from the adjacent island of Tagulandang, according to Abdul Muhari, the disaster mitigation agency spokesperson.
About 1,500 people in high-risk locations needed to be evacuated right away, he said, and about 12,000 more are expected to be affected.
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