Tsunami alert in Indonesia after multiple volcano eruptions forced thousands to evacuate

Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert Wednesday after eruptions at Ruang mountain propelled ash thousands of feet high, prompting officials to evacuate over 11,000 people from the area.

The volcano, located on the northern side of Sulawesi island, experienced at least five significant eruptions within 24 hours, according to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation. As a result, authorities raised the volcano alert to its highest level.

Around 800 residents had already evacuated the area earlier on Wednesday.

Indonesia, home to 120 active volcanoes, is susceptible to volcanic activity due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped belt of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Ocean.

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Officials advised tourists and residents to maintain a distance of at least 3.7 miles from the 2,378-foot Ruang volcano.

Concerns persist that a portion of the volcano could collapse into the sea, triggering a tsunami similar to the one caused by an eruption in 1871.

Tagulandang island, to the volcano’s northeast, is again at risk, and its residents are among those being told to evacuate.

Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said residents will be relocated to Manado, the nearest city, on Sulawesi island, a journey of six hours by boat.

In 2018, the eruption of Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano caused a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java after parts of the mountain fell into the ocean, killing 430 people.

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With inputs from The Associated Press